Best Friends
by Desslok
Summary: Ami and Makoto come to terms with their feelings with the help of, and despite, their friends
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: The characters aren't mine. They belong to others   
and I make no claim on them. I'm trying to use the Japanese   
honorifics, but am probably making some errors. If so, please   
let me know so I can correct them. They add a lot of depth to   
interpersonal characterizations, but can be difficult for me as   
non-Japanese to understand completely. I hope that they are not   
too jarring.  
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Best Friends by Desslok  
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Chapter One: Monday morning  
  
"Ten seconds to go, she dribbles over half-court, head fake, 6   
seconds, crossover, drives the lane, 3, pulls up for the   
fadeaway, 2, 1...." [clank]  
  
Makoto cursed silently under her breath and jogged over to   
retrieve the basketball. Suddenly, she became aware that she had   
an audience.   
  
"Nice shot, Kino, you just lost the World Championship for   
Japan."   
  
Leaning against the bleachers on the other side of the gymnasium,   
clapping slowly and mockingly, was someone she had not seen in a   
long time. Though she was surprised and excited to see him,   
Makoto couldn't let such impudence go unpunished. "Gee,   
'Shinoko', I thought after the whipping I put on you last time,   
you'd never dare set foot on a basketball court again. Did you   
pick up some new moves in Kyoto that you'd like to see   
dissected?" She tossed the basketball to Shinozaki Kenjo with   
enough force to make him scramble to catch it.  
  
Shinozaki laughed and dribbled over toward his oldest, dearest   
friend. "Not right now, I'm still recovering, thank you. It's   
good to see you, Mako-chan. It's been way too long." Closing   
the distance between them, he shot randomly toward the basket and   
opened his arms to her. He didn't notice that it actually went   
in with a 'swish', but Makoto certainly did.   
  
"Good shot, Kenjo-chan!" she said with a smile, embracing him.   
After a solid squeeze, she stepped back, holding his hands in her   
own. "I didn't think you'd be back till the winter holidays!   
When did you get into town?"   
  
Kenjo smiled, released one of her hands, and led her over toward   
the bleachers to sit. "We have mid-term break, so I figured I'd   
hop the train and come home for the week. Got in yesterday   
morning. I tried to track you down at the ice cream parlor, but   
your friend Mizuno told me you were probably here, working out."   
  
"Yeah, after my routine, I like to shoot around a little. None   
of my friends, well other than you, really likes basketball much.   
Haruka likes auto racing and Minako is obsessed with volleyball,   
but other than that they're not too interested in any sports,"   
Makoto lamented.   
  
"I thought you were toning your interest in sports down after   
whathisname dumped you with that bullshit about not being   
'feminine' enough," Kenjo asked. Though his tone was light, he   
turned to watch her reaction closely. Last time they'd had the   
chance for a real heart-to-heart, he'd been able to tell that she   
was still upset over what that guy had said to her, even though   
it was now a number of years past. As he'd hoped, though, time   
apparently had healed that wound. She simply laughed and shook   
her head.   
  
"I never lost interest, but its not much fun when you try to   
explain the intricacies of a zone defense to girls who have no   
interest whatsoever. Nah, my friends have no clue, so I don't   
bother them with it." Makoto sighed and a small smile tweaked   
her lips. "Ami, though, she'll listen politely. I think she even   
looked up some stuff once, just so I'd have someone to enjoy the   
last World Cup with. You still owe me 500 yen, by the way," she   
added, nudging Kenjo in the ribs.  
  
"Ami? That's Mizuno-san, right? She's the one who told me I   
could probably find you here. Seems like a sweet girl," Kenjo   
noted. "Does she have a boyfriend?"  
  
Kenjo was quite surprised to see Makoto's eyes flare briefly. No   
one else might have noticed, but there weren't many people who   
knew Kino Makoto the way he did. For the first time in a very   
long time, he began to wonder if perhaps she was jealous. After   
some fits and starts when they had both hit puberty years ago,   
they had both finally realized that they just worked better as   
friends and since then, it had never been an issue. When "the   
jerk", as she called him (what Kenjo called him can't be   
printed), dumped her, Kenjo was there to offer an umbrella and a   
shoulder to cry on. When the first great love of his life had   
told him that she loved him, but was not in love with him and   
that they should just be friends, Makoto had been there to   
listen, to sympathize, to help him get past it. For years, it   
had never even occurred to him that either of them could think of   
the other as anything other than what they were, best friends,   
but... there had been something there.   
  
"Only you could get jet lag from riding a train, Shinozaki!,"   
Makoto teased, waving her hand in front of his eyes. "I hope you   
weren't sitting there fantasizing about my Ami. Don't waste your   
time," she added, "she's got 'Urawa-san'." Again, no one else   
might have noticed, but Kenjo heard it. She didn't like this   
Urawa fellow at all.   
  
"Besides," she continued, "you're only here for a week. I hope   
you aren't so hard up at school that you've got to come back to   
Tokyo lookin' for love!" Makoto smiled lightly, but laid a hand   
over his to let her friend know that, if it was something like   
that, he could certainly talk to her about it. For a moment,   
they just sat together. Makoto couldn't quite tell what Kenjo   
was thinking, but still she marveled at how, no matter how long   
they were apart, the minute they got together it was as if no   
time at all had passed.   
  
"I'm not looking for love, Kino," Kenjo laughed, patting her   
hand. "I am between romances at the moment, as they say, but   
have some prospects back at school. How about you? Still got a   
heart aflutter for that guy that works down at the arcade?"  
  
Makoto giggled nervously, which made Kenjo even more suspicious   
(Makoto, giggling?) and shook her head. "Nah, he's got a   
girlfriend. Besides, I really don't have time for that kind of   
thing, what with school and, you know, the other stuff." Even   
though they were clearly alone, she still darted her eyes around   
the gym. She could still recall the day when she had told him   
about her 'secret identity' as Sailor Jupiter and what it meant.   
There hadn't been much chance for her to hide it, after he had   
been injured in an attack. She had sworn him to secrecy, even   
though they both trusted each other with their lives, and, even   
then, it had still been hard for her to tell him. Afterwards,   
though, Makoto found it was nice to able to share that part of   
her life with him as well. Kenjo had an outsider's perspective   
on things that often gave her great insights into the larger   
issues associated with her dual roles. Though she loved and   
cherished all of the senshi, sometimes there were still things   
she needed to work through that they couldn't understand.   
  
Kenjo nodded. "Sounds kind of lonely."  
  
"Oh, but its not like that really!" Makoto declared, sitting up   
straight with an excited glint in her eye. "The other sen.. the   
others are all so wonderful. Aside from you, they're the best   
friends I've ever had. We spend all sorts of time together. Ami   
and I get together just about every night to study and have   
dinner, especially when her mom has to work late. Her mom is a   
doctor, so Ami's all alone at home and you know I am, so we   
decided we might as well be alone together. She'll bring her   
books over, I'll make us dinner. Sometimes, the other girls will   
come by as well, when they're not too busy. And, of course, we   
have our meetings in the afternoons when we can. Ami, she's   
studying to be a doctor too, so she's got a lot of classes, but   
she tries to avoid scheduling afternoon classes when she can. My   
classes are usually in the mornings or the evenings, and the   
others make time as well. Ami and I were joking just the other   
day that we didn't see how Minako had as much time to date as she   
does, and of course Usagi only has free time since her boyfriend   
went abroad to study."  
  
Kenjo just sat back and listened as Makoto told him about her   
life. One of the things he really loved about her was her   
enthusiasm, especially for the things that mattered most in her   
life: sports, exercise, cooking, her friends. Though they'd   
gone to different schools, he knew that she had a reputation as   
someone to be avoided. Dealing with all of that, not to mention   
her parents' deaths, had created walls around her. Thus, Kenjo   
particularly enjoyed those times when his presence allowed her to   
let some of that passion and energy out. As she spoke, however,   
he began to sense something. She might not be willing to admit   
it, but she did sound lonely. Every happy expression accompanied   
a story about time spent with her friends. As he considered   
that, an odd thought came to mind. 'Damn, if this were a   
drinking game and I was taking a shot every time she said the   
word 'Ami', I'd be on my way to detox.' Slowly, notions began to   
form in his head.  
  
"Why are you smiling at me like that?" Makoto asked suspiciously.   
"I know I've been rambling on a bit, but you know me well enough   
to know how I am."  
  
Kenjo startled, realizing that she'd stopped speaking about four   
stations back on his train of thought. "Sorry! Just had a funny   
idea, that's all."  
  
"Well, you gonna share? You weren't gonna ask me to set you up   
with Usagi again, were you? I told you she's destined for   
another and besides, she'd drive you nuts after a week. I swear,   
I don't know what it is with you and blondes. I've always   
preferred dark hair myself, and the more studious type. Maybe I   
_should_ set you up with Minako, it might serve you both right!"  
  
Kenjo raised an eyebrow with amusement at her descriptions. "No,   
no, nothing like that. Let me ponder it a bit more. Maybe I'll   
share later, say over dinner tonight?"  
  
Makoto frowned suddenly, "Ami and I were going to have dinner   
with the rest of the senshi... why are you laughing?"  
  
Kenjo coughed to regain some control. 'Ami and I' not 'All of us   
together'. He wondered if she even suspected, and whether or not   
the rest of their friends knew. Then, he remembered something,   
something about 'Urawa'. 'Oh, my Mako-chan, I hope you haven't   
done it again. Why can't you fall in love with someone   
unattached for once,' he thought wistfully.   
  
"No reason. Well, what works for you, then?" he asked.   
  
Makoto thought a moment. "I want to be able to talk without feeling rushed, but I've got classes all week."  
  
"How about we meet here on Saturday morning then? We can   
exercise and then maybe shoot some hoops. I think my confidence   
is returning."  
  
"You're on, hot shot," Makoto agreed. "Now, I really need to hit   
the showers and no, I can't get you a visitor's pass to the   
girls' locker room, so you'd better hit the road.. See ya   
Saturday!"  
  
As she walked off, Kenjo sat on the bench and thought about how   
he might be able to help his friend. First things first. He   
needed to do some research. Jumping up quickly, he yelled, "Hey   
Kino, hold up a second!"  
  
"What's the matter, did you forget the way home?" she responded   
with a smirk.  
  
"No, I wanted to ask you a favor, seriously," Kenjo said, dashing   
over to her. "Could you set me up on a date with your friend   
Minako?"  
  
"Are you really serious?" Makoto asked, with a startled look. "I   
thought you had 'prospects' and besides, you're heading back to   
Kyoto soon. You mean you can't go a week without a date?"   
Though her tone was teasing, Kenjo could see shades of concern   
growing in her eyes.  
  
"Could you just ask her, as a favor? I promise, I'm fine and   
it's nothing weird. I'd just like to meet this girl you keep   
mentioning to me," Kenjo said in a soothing voice.  
  
"Ok," Makoto agreed, somewhat reluctantly. "I'm not sure what   
you're up to, but I'll do it as a favor, to both of you."   
Suddenly, her smile returned. "I really do think the two of you   
would get along. After all you have so much in common!"  
  
Kenjo could guess where this was going, but he asked anyway.   
"And that would be?"  
  
"You both love me!" Makoto answered with an even bigger smile.   
"I'll ask her tonight and give you a call later. See ya!"  
  
Kenjo smiled, at her joke but also at Makoto in general. She was   
such a sweet girl and he really wanted to see her happy. He   
suspected he finally had a lead on a way he could help in that   
department, but before he did anything or said anything to her   
about it, he needed some confirmation. Hopefully, this would be   
a step in that direction. 'And hey,' he thought, 'if nothing   
else, I get to have dinner with a hot blonde!' With that happy   
thought, he headed out.   
  
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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Monday afternoon  
  
Mizuno Ami was in a bad mood. She didn't really know why, but   
she was. At first, she hadn't even realized it, of course. Such   
emotional states were certainly not the norm for her. Her first   
clue was when she ordered extra hot fudge on her sundae. The   
second clue came when she realized that, even though she'd read   
the passage in question three times, she had no idea what it was   
she was reading.   
  
Since reading without comprehension was clearly a waste of time,   
Ami lowered her textbook and looked around the room. She sat in   
the ice cream parlor that had served as a secondary clubhouse   
(along with Rei's temple) for her and her friends since junior   
high school. Unfortunately, she sat alone this afternoon. Rei   
had duties at her temple, Usagi supposedly was in class, and   
Minako had volleyball practice. Strangely enough, it was only   
when Ami pondered the location of Makoto (at the gym) that a   
feeling of loneliness hit her. Being alone was nothing strange   
for Ami, but loneliness was. Thinking back to when it had   
started, she could only recall that brief conversation she'd had   
with Shinozaki Kenjo, Makoto's friend. 'I wonder why Makoto   
never mentioned that her friend was in town,' Ami considered.   
'Actually, I wonder why she never mentions him much at all. She   
wouldn't keep it a secret if they were dating, would she?' For   
some reason, this line of thought was making her feel even worse.   
  
"Ami-chan, do you mind if I join you?"  
  
There are few things more jarring than to have a friendly voice   
interrupt one's contemplation of their solitude and this was no   
exception. Especially disconcerting to Ami was the fact that she   
recognized the voice immediately and it was no one she had ever   
expected to see.  
  
"Ryu-kun! When did you get back to Tokyo? Your school isn't on a   
break," Ami noted.   
  
Urawa Ryu took a seat across from Ami in the booth, setting a   
bowl of ice cream down in front of himself. "Can't a guy check in   
on one of his best friends when she's feeling a little down?"  
  
"But, I'm not...well, I wasn't feeling down until just this   
afternoon. How could you..."  
  
Ryu laughed, "You haven't forgotten that I'm a psychic, I hope!   
One of the benefits, aside from the good grades, is that I can be   
there when my friends need me."  
  
Ami's voice grew a bit stern. "You promised that you weren't   
going to use your powers to improve your grades!" she admonished.  
  
"I haven't been, I was just saying it was one of the benefits.   
'Was', Ami-chan, not 'is.' Now, do you want to tell me what's   
the matter?"  
  
As Ami began to describe her day, in an attempt to pin down the   
source of her discomfort, Ryu couldn't help but lose track of her   
words. She was so very beautiful. The picture he kept in his   
wallet did her no justice whatsoever. Though he'd had   
girlfriends at college, those relationships never worked out, and   
Ryu was smart enough to know that it was because none of them   
could stand up against his image of Ami.   
  
Though he'd tried over the years to resign himself to the fact   
that Ami was only interested in him as a friend, it was still   
difficult. Ever since she'd saved his life, so long ago, he'd   
felt a bond to her. He knew that she felt comfortable with him   
and considered him a close friend, but still, he always sensed   
she held something back. More than anything, he wanted her to   
open herself to him completely, to share the feelings that he   
felt for her. Even though she'd told him in no uncertain terms   
the last time they had met that she did not want anything other   
than friendship, he never gave up that hope that he could   
convince her to return his feelings. When the vision of her,   
sitting alone in this place with an expression of exquisite   
melancholia, had come to him, he'd boarded the next train back to   
Tokyo. Somehow, he'd known that this was a turning point in both   
of their lives. Besides, some opportunities were too good to pass   
up.  
  
Focusing back in on what she was saying, Ryu noticed that she   
apparently had no idea why she was sad. However, she kept   
mentioning her friend Makoto.  
  
"Maybe I just feel hurt because Makoto did not trust me enough to   
tell me that her good friend had come back to town," Ami   
suggested.   
  
"It could be that you're feeling left out," Ryu replied gently.   
"After all, Makoto is with that Kenjo fellow. Usagi is all but   
married to that Mamoru guy, right? And didn't you say that you   
hardly ever see your friend Minako because she's always out on   
dates?"  
  
Ami looked uncertain. "I've never associated happiness with   
boys. You know that. I suppose it would be nice to have someone   
special, to share my life with, but I've always assumed that when   
the time was right, it would happen."  
  
"Well, you're getting older now. Your friends seem to be moving   
into that phase of their lives. Maybe that time is approaching   
for you as well."  
  
Ami did not reply immediately. Instead, she let her mind wander,   
toying with this idea of sharing herself completely. It would be   
nice to come home after a long day at school to someone who took   
joy in her presence, to share a meal, tell about each other's   
day, relax in the safe, comfortable arms of someone you loved   
with all of your being. Ami blushed as her daydream drifted   
further, beyond comfort, to the realm of tight embraces, hot   
kisses, shared passions...  
  
Though he could not read minds (he was a psychic, not a   
telepath!), Ryu sensed that Ami was beginning to warm to the idea   
of a boyfriend. Now, all that was left was to insert himself   
into that role. Suddenly, a searing pain in his temples, a flash   
of light, and another vision.  
  
***Ami stood on a balcony, looking out at the night sky. Stars   
glittered dimly, almost completely obscured by the reflected   
light of the city below. Over the rooftops, the moon hovered,   
almost full. Though it was cool, she felt warm inside,   
completely at peace. Someone approached her from behind and   
gently slid their arms around her waist, leaning down to rest   
their head on top of hers. With a contented sigh, she leaned   
back against the one who was truly the source of her   
contentedness, her peace, her joy and happiness. Slowly Ami's   
head came to rest on the soft, warm chest of her dearest love.***  
  
Ami did not notice Ryu tense up as his vision hit. She was truly   
lost in the realm of her thoughts, as she lingered in this   
fantasy of shared love and happiness. Still, these strange   
memories kept interrupting.   
  
*A month ago, sitting with Makoto in her living room, watching   
television together: Ami dozes off and Makoto leans over to   
wrap her in a blanket. The scent of Mako's perfume and the clean   
blanket surround her as she senses the gentle touch of her   
friend's fingers sliding it around her shoulders.*  
  
*Seven years ago, at a school dance: the touch of Makoto's hand   
as Ami pulled her out onto the dance floor. Chills run up her   
arms and down her spine as she considers exactly how special and   
beautiful this woman before her is.*  
  
A sharp gasp from Ryu brought Ami out of her reverie.   
  
"Oh my! Are you all right?" Ami asked with great concern, noting   
how pale her friend had become.  
  
"Fine," Ryu replied, catching his breath. "I'm fine, just a head   
rush, probably from eating my ice cream too fast."   
  
It wasn't him. He didn't know who it was, but he did know it   
wasn't him. Ryu certainly was not the most muscular of young   
men, but his chest had never been soft like that one had been. He   
could still feel the sensation. 'I don't think any man has a   
chest that soft,' he mused. Needing time to regroup, he stood   
up.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ami, I'm probably on the wrong track. You're a smart,   
independent young woman, what do you need with any kind of   
relationship. I must have confused you with those silly airheads   
back at school. You're probably just worried about exams." Ryu   
laughed, he hoped convincingly.  
  
Ami smiled wistfully, "I suppose you are right. I do feel better   
now. It certainly was sweet of you to come all this way just to   
cheer me up. We didn't even get a chance to talk about you."  
  
"That's fine, we'll catch up later. I'll be around for a few   
days, but I'd better get going. Got some stuff to take care of."   
Ryu bowed slightly and headed out.  
  
After he left, Ami picked up her textbook, but almost immediately   
set it back down. True, she was no longer feeling lonely, but   
she did have a lingering air of melancholy. Out of habit, she   
wondered what time Makoto might be done with her workout, before   
recalling that she was probably with Shinozaki Kenjo right now.   
That thought brought a sudden pang inside of her.   
  
'Mizuno Ami,' she thought, 'none of this is doing you any good.   
If you are lonely, you should seek out a friend. If Makoto is   
busy, then you certainly have other friends who are _not_ busy   
with secret boyfriends. I'm sure Rei is available.'  
  
With that thought in mind, Ami gathered her things, paid her   
check, and headed out to see Rei. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Monday afternoon, late  
  
----------------  
  
"Please grant happiness and joy to everyone, especially my   
dearest friends."  
  
Hino Rei reached up and delicately tugged down a branch of the   
tree and tied her prayer to it. It joined hundreds of others,   
which together made the old oak tree seem more like a cherry   
blossom in bloom. With a gentle smile, she wondered exactly how   
many of those blossoms represented the same prayer. It had taken   
a while, but she began to suspect that they were starting to   
work. Just to be safe, she rapped the trunk of the tree three   
times before heading back toward the temple.  
  
As she moved up the broad stairs, she heard someone calling her   
name. Turning, Rei saw Ami heading through the gates, books in   
hand as always.   
  
"Rei-chan, I hope I'm not disturbing you," Ami called.  
  
"Of course not, Ami-chan," Rei replied. "Why are you here so   
early, though? We're not supposed to meet for dinner till 6 and   
I thought you had a test to study for." Rei sat down primly on   
the stairs and waited for Ami to join her.   
  
As Ami sat and placed her books carefully next to herself, Rei   
noted that something was bothering the girl. Working in a temple   
full-time had honed Rei's instincts to a very high level when it   
came to people and clearly, this particular person was troubled   
about something. If nothing else, the long pause and slight rush   
of color to her cheeks gave Ami away.  
  
"I was studying," Ami began. "For some reason, though, I couldn't   
focus on what I was doing."  
  
Rei's eyebrows lifted in shock. Mizuno Ami, unable to focus? On   
schoolwork no less? This was quite unprecedented. Ami had   
paused, clearly trying to decide what to say or how to say it.   
Ami always chose her words carefully, but usually as a result of   
a desire for precision, not from this kind of obvious confusion.   
Rei tried to recall the last time she had seen Ami this upset.  
  
"You haven't been offered another chance to study abroad, have   
you?" Rei asked.  
  
"No, nothing like that," Ami answered quickly. "I just wanted   
some company, that's all. It was a bit lonely down at the ice   
cream parlor."   
  
Again, Rei felt startled. Ami studied by herself all the time   
and had never had a problem focusing. True, she did go to a lot   
of trouble to organize study groups, but Rei assumed that was   
because her friend wanted to ensure that she and the rest of the   
senshi were doing their homework properly. She remembered only   
one other instance where Ami had gotten worked up to the point of   
distraction.  
  
"Did someone leave you a love letter?" Rei tried her best not to   
chuckle or grin. She and the others had frequently noted with   
some amusement the way their friend flipped out when someone   
expressed a romantic interest in her, but Rei knew that Ami was   
easily embarrassed and also that the girl needed a good friend   
now more than anything.   
  
On cue, Ami's face turned pink. "No, definitely not. Why is   
everyone so interested in my love life today?" she asked quietly,   
as if to herself more than Rei.  
  
'Because we've never seen _you_ express any interest in it!' Rei   
thought before asking, "'Everyone'? Who else was interested in   
your love life today, Aims?"  
  
"Oh, Ryu-kun thought that maybe I was feeling a bit down because   
all of my friends are in happy relationships."  
  
"We are?" Rei laughed. "Minako hasn't been on a date with the   
same boy twice in over a year and I certainly haven't in quite   
awhile. Aside from Usagi, and Haruka and Michiru I guess, none   
of us are in relationships!"  
  
Ami sighed and dropped her eyes. "I think Mako-chan might be,"   
she whispered. "Her friend Shinozaki showed up today and asked me   
where she might be. She hadn't mentioned that he was back in   
town and I can only surmise it was because she didn't want to be   
teased about it."  
  
Immediately, Rei noticed the change. Ami's shoulders slumped;   
she stared at the ground between her feet. It was as if the   
energy had been drained from her by some invisible youma. 'Now,   
we're getting to the heart of it all,' she realized. She knew   
that getting Ami to open up about her feelings would be   
difficult, but she also knew that if anyone could do it, she   
could. Other than Makoto, no one was closer to Ami. Well,   
except maybe Urawa-san.   
  
"Ami-chan, I didn't know that Urawa-san was in Tokyo. Doesn't he   
go to school in the provinces?" Rei asked.   
  
"He does, but he had a vision of me and was worried, so he came   
to visit." Ami looked up, a bit confused. "At least that is what   
he told me. If that is the case, though, I wonder why he ran off   
so quickly." Ami seemed more puzzled about this than depressed,   
which confused Rei even further.  
  
"Well, what were the two of you talking about? If you weren't   
sad yesterday, but today you are distracted and out of sorts,   
than something must have happened between now and then."   
  
Ami sighed and straightened up a bit, firming her resolve. "I   
was studying, because I knew that with dinner tonight, I wouldn't   
have much chance to get any reading done later. Just as I   
realized I was feeling odd, Ryu-kun showed up. He suggested that   
maybe I was longing for a relationship."  
  
Rei smirked. 'I'm sure he was. That guy just won't take no for   
an answer.' Without really trying, she could recall at least   
four separate occasions when Ami had reported that Urawa-san had   
asked her out, despite her continually expressed desire to simply   
be friends with him.  
  
"So, I started to consider what he was saying," Ami continued,   
now very deliberately choosing each word. "I let myself imagine   
what it would be like to have someone to come home to, to share   
my life with and..." The young girl looked over at Rei with wide   
eyes. "Oh Rei, I have to admit, it was really very pleasant. I   
don't often think such things."  
  
Rei laid a hand gently over Ami's and urged her to continue.   
"What happened then, Ami-chan?"  
  
Ami looked away quickly, again the blood rising to her cheeks.   
After a long pause, she continued in a quick voice, "My thoughts   
began to wander and then Ryu-kun stood up and said he had to   
leave, that he'd probably been wrong about the whole thing and   
that I was probably just worried about exams."  
  
The gap in Ami's narrative was glaring and Rei knew that if she   
wanted to help her friend, she'd have to get to the bottom of it.   
Turning to face Ami directly, she took both of her friend's hands   
in her own.   
  
"Ami, we've known each other for years and been through   
everything together. I love you like a sister and you know you   
can tell me anything, right?"  
  
Ami nodded, unable to meet Rei's gaze. She muttered softly, "I   
feel so sad, Rei, and I don't know why. That's why I came here.   
Mako-chan is with her lover but I knew you'd be able to help me."  
  
'Mako-chan?' Rei considered. 'What does she have to do with   
anything? And since when does an old friend visiting mean she's   
got a secret lover?'   
  
"Ami, when you were thinking about...about being in love and what   
it would be like, were you happy?" she asked carefully.  
  
"Oh yes!" Ami looked up with a shy smile, her eyes suddenly   
glittering like the sun on a mountain lake.   
  
"And, was there anyone in particular you had in mind when you   
were thinking these things?"  
  
"No, not really," Ami replied, much too quickly, again dropping   
her glance.  
  
Never. Not once in however many years it had been could Rei   
recall Ami ever lying to her in response to a direct question.   
It was true that only Makoto could give Ami a run for her money   
when it came to evading a question, but, again like Makoto, she   
never lied to her friends. Till now.   
  
'Lying to me, or to herself? Our little Ami is in love and the   
poor thing has no idea what to do about it,' Rei realized. Could   
it be that her feelings for Urawa-san had finally changed? It   
would certainly make sense for her to be upset, especially if he   
ran off just as she began to suspect it. Suddenly, something   
clicked.  
  
"Ami-chan, can we back up a second? Did I hear you say that you   
were sad before Urawa-san arrived?"  
  
"Yes," Ami whispered.  
  
"Did anything else happen today, like before he arrived?"  
  
Ami shook her head miserably. "No, nothing at all. I was   
studying. I didn't see anyone. Well, Shinozaki asked me where   
he could find Mako-chan, but that was it."  
  
Ami fell silent and Rei used the time to gather her thoughts.   
Some people thought that Ami had an air of sadness about her, but   
Rei had never been one of them. She knew that Ami was a serious   
person and a very strong one, not given to depression or angst.   
Still, she was a normal young woman, not some sort of robot or   
supercomputer, no matter how smart she was. Rei knew how much   
Ami relied on her and the other senshi. They all needed each   
other very much. For a moment, she tried to put aside her own   
preconceptions and ideas about Ami and consider what she'd heard   
today as if Ami was simply a typical petitioner at the temple.   
  
It was clear that the young woman was in love, even if she did   
not realize it. Equally clear was the fact that she doubted that   
this love was returned, that she was afraid of it somehow. Ami   
was many things, but stupid was not one of them. While she did   
have blind spots about things related to her emotional or   
spiritual side, Ami knew well how Urawa thought of her. If she   
had loved him, she would not have had any doubts or fears. No,   
not Urawa then.   
  
Rei also knew that love does not appear in a flash, like a bolt   
of lightning during a rainstorm. It grows slowly over time, like   
a delicate flower, nurtured with shared experiences, mutual   
respect, common interest, and deep affection. Oh, the awareness   
of love might strike like one of Sailor Jupiter's thunderbolts,   
but not the love itself.  
  
With a deep, cleansing breath, Rei cleared her mind and thought   
of the sacred flame. In that moment of clarity, she realized   
that she already had guessed the answer. Lightning. Flowers.   
Clues from the sacred flame, or her subconscious.   
  
'Oh Ami, could it be true?' she wondered. It would certainly   
explain just about everything. Unbidden, memories flooded Rei,   
as if she'd opened an internal dossier on her two close friends.   
Images of the two of them came to her: standing just a little bit   
closer to each other than necessary; shared glances; walks home;   
things that were perfectly normal for best friends, but could   
also be seen in a different light.   
  
  
Rei looked over at Ami. If she was right, the poor girl was in   
for a rough time. Even the threat of a normal relationship had   
threatened to unhinge Ami in the past. How much worse could   
something like this be, especially if it was unrequited. Rei's   
heart overflowed with concern and fear for her friend. Calming   
herself, she knew she needed some sort of confirmation. Tonight,   
at dinner, she could observe the two of them and try to figure   
out what was what, but there were also things to learn right now.  
  
"Hey Ami," Rei asked in a light tone, "what sort of person   
_would_ you want to share your life with?"  
  
Ami blushed again, but lifted her gaze to Rei's. "Someone   
strong, sure of themselves, independent. I can't imagine being   
with someone who couldn't take care of themselves. I think you   
have to be content with yourself before you can be happy with   
someone else."  
  
'That eliminates Urawa,' Rei thought with a nasty smirk.  
  
Ami sighed and continued, staring out at the prayer tree. "But,   
someone who would need me, not because they couldn't be alone,   
but because they were happier with me, more complete with me in   
their life. Someone tall and able to make me laugh and smile,   
but also serious at the right times. Someone whose ideal evening   
would be to cook a nice dinner and curl up on the sofa under a   
warm blanket watching television."  
  
"What does this person look like?"  
  
"Oh Rei, you know it doesn't matter what's on the outside, but   
what's on the inside," Ami admonished her.  
  
"Just for the sake of argument, then," Rei chuckled. Her mental   
checklist was already full, but she was curious about this as   
well.  
  
Ami giggled nervously, "Oh, ok. Tall, light brown hair, blue or   
green eyes." She sighed and continued, lost in the image.   
"Someone strong, but soft, gentle, and tender."  
  
Rei struggled to suppress a triumphant smile. Oh, there was no   
doubt now. What to do, though? First, she'd need to get to the   
bottom of this Shinozaki business. As far as Rei knew, Shinozaki   
and Makoto were only very close friends. If so, then she'd need   
to find out how Makoto felt. Reviewing that dossier, she   
suspected that that might not be a very big issue either. One   
last problem lingered though, and it was going to be much more   
difficult. The only parts of the story that didn't make sense to   
Rei were Urawa-san's actions. Her intuition warned her that   
there might be trouble here, but she couldn't think of what to   
do. 'I think this is too big for me to deal with alone,' she   
decided. 'I'd better bring in the big guns.'  
  
Standing up, Rei offered Ami a hand and tugged her to her feet.   
"Come on, all this daydreaming isn't going to get us to dinner.   
Do you want to wash up here and we can walk over together?"  
  
"That would be nice, Rei," Ami smiled. "Thank you so very much.   
You are truly a good friend. I feel much better for some reason.   
Maybe I just missed my friends."  
  
Rei nodded knowingly, "Something like that, I'm sure. Let's go   
inside."  
  
------------------------ 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Tuesday afternoon/evening  
----------  
  
"Ok, she'll meet you in front of the Crown Game Parlor at 6:00,"   
Makoto said. After "Hello" those had pretty much been the first   
words out of her mouth after Kenjo had answered the phone.  
  
The young man checked his watch. It was 4:30. "That will work   
out great, Mako-chan. Have I thanked you for doing this for me?"  
  
"Yes, but not enough," Makoto chided. "Personally, I think the   
whole thing is silly. She's clearly too beautiful for you and   
you're definitely too nice for her. She seems to prefer   
dangerous boys, like pop singers."  
  
Kenjo laughed, "Just because I am not dangerous to _you_ doesn't   
mean I can't be dangerous when the situation demands it, and no   
one has ever booed me off of a karaoke stage." Slowly, something   
she'd said registered. "Hey, what do you mean she's too   
beautiful for me?" He grunted in mock disgust.  
  
"All I am saying is that you are not used to being with someone   
as beautiful as her. You'll have to get used to the fact that   
boys stare at her all the time," Makoto warned.  
  
"But Mako-chan," he replied in a sickeningly sweet tone, "I am   
used to that from hanging out with you."  
  
Makoto snorted skeptically.  
  
"Besides," Kenjo continued, "didn't I hear you say the other day   
that you preferred brunettes to blondes?"  
  
"Well, that doesn't mean that I don't know which of my friends   
are beautiful, Kenjo-chan. In fact, they are all beautiful in   
their own way. Usagi is the sweetest girl you could ever hope to   
meet; her joy and kindness radiate in her features. Rei is   
exotic and mysterious while Minako has a more classical beauty.   
And Ami..."  
  
Kenjo tuned in carefully for this. As Makoto's pause lengthened,   
he smiled to himself and added it to his internal compilation of   
evidence.   
  
"Ami," Makoto eventually continued, "is just incredible. Her   
hair glows, her eyes sparkle, and her skin is so fair that you'd   
think she was made of porcelain. I wish I was half as beautiful   
as she is."   
  
Kenjo heard her sigh and could just imagine the look on her face   
right now. It was probably the same one she used to get whenever   
she'd see someone who reminded her of her ex. "I'm sure she   
thinks the same thing about you, you know," he suggested gently.   
  
A harsh laugh indicated that she thought nothing of the sort and   
that, despite his caution, he'd broken the spell. Kenjo decided   
he'd best change the subject.   
  
"So, how was the rest of your dinner?" he asked.  
  
"It was fun," Makoto replied tentatively.   
  
Kenjo picked up on her uncertainty immediately. "I'm glad you had   
fun. What did you guys talk about?"  
  
"Oh you know, girl stuff. Mostly we listened to Usagi pine for   
Mamoru," Makoto laughed. More seriously, she added, "Rei was   
pretty quiet. I don't think she and Usagi fought once. It was   
like she was watching me, or Ami, or something."  
  
At the moment, Kenjo really didn't care what might be going on   
with Hino Rei. "How's Ami?" he asked, trying to sound   
nonchalant.  
  
Kenjo could hear Makoto's fond smile through the receiver.   
"Quiet, as usual. She made me laugh a few times, though. She   
says the funniest things sometimes, but usually quietly enough so   
that only I hear." Makoto paused. "She did perk up at one point,   
though, right after I asked Minako if she'd go out on a date with   
you. You should have seen her smile. Rei too, come to think of   
it. I guess they were both afraid I'd ask them to date you,"   
Makoto teased.  
  
"I'm not sure I like the sound of that!" Kenjo complained. He   
made a mental note to try to figure out what that all meant   
later.   
  
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Usagi complained that no   
one ever tried to set her up with their cute boy friends. Minako   
reminded her about Mamoru, though, and that brought up another   
round of pining."   
  
Kenjo laughed. "Sounds like you guys had a good time. So, 6:00   
huh? Well, as much as I love talking with you, I need to start   
getting ready for this date."  
  
"You never really explained to me why all of a sudden you wanted   
to have dinner with Minako," Makoto pointed out. "I think you owe   
me that much."  
  
"I promise, I'll explain it all to you on Saturday. You take care   
and I promise to give you all the dirt then," Kenjo assured her.   
"Oh, one last thing! When you asked her at dinner last night,   
I'm sure that she had some questions about me. Is there anything   
I should know going in, as far as what she's expecting?"  
  
"Oh no, Captain Mysterious. You want to keep your secrets till   
Saturday? Well, then so do I." Makoto chuckled wickedly. In a   
more serious tone she added, "Just be yourself, Kenjo-chan, and   
all will be well. She's a sweet girl and you're a great guy."  
  
"Thanks," Kenjo replied a bit nervously, "I'll talk to you   
later."  
  
"See ya!" Makoto replied before disconnecting.  
  
As he hung up the phone and started to lay out some clothes for   
dinner, Kenjo reflected on the conversation, and also the one   
from Monday. He really didn't doubt now that Makoto was in love   
with Mizuno Ami. Though she tried very hard to hide behind her   
various walls, he knew all the secret gateways; there was no way   
she could hide something like that from him. The question then   
was, had she hidden it from herself. He knew that while his   
friend had a very strong sense of self, she still had areas of   
great insecurity. The most glaring of these was her complete   
inability to believe that someone could love her. Despite how   
she talked about her friends, he knew that a part of her still   
had lingering doubts about her importance to them. It had taken   
him years to really convince her that he loved her for who she   
was, not some false image, not someone he wanted to bed, just as   
Kino Makoto.   
  
Of course, the second big question was, did Ami return those   
feelings. Hopefully, dinner tonight would shed some light on   
that question. He really had no objection to going out on a date   
with someone like Aino Minako. He'd met her a couple times and   
could still vividly recall each occasion. He hoped that Mako   
wasn't right, that Minako wasn't too beautiful for him. 'All   
guys should have such a problem,' he reflected. That beauty, plus   
her obviously kind nature, certainly made tonight's 'mission' a   
very manageable burden. Still, he was a bit surprised at how   
nervous he suddenly felt.  
  
Kenjo sighed and moved into the bathroom for a quick shower and   
shave. Even if Ami returned Makoto's feelings, it would take   
something pretty serious to help Makoto see that. From the   
little Kenjo knew about Ami, he didn't think she was the type to   
come on that strong. In fact, she appeared to be quite similar   
to Makoto in that sense: very reserved in dealing with others,   
very private, very careful.   
  
Standing there, gazing at himself in the mirror, he recalled all   
the times that Makoto had been there for him: nursing him through   
a fever when his parents were out of town; offering a shoulder   
when his heart had been broken for the first time, then the   
second, and the third; knowing instinctively how worried he'd   
been about moving to Kyoto and saying all the right things to   
help him adjust to the idea. If there was anything he could do   
to make her happy, to help her find someone else who could be   
everything he tried to be for her and more, then there was no way   
in hell he would fail to do it. With a firm nod of his head, he   
commenced with his preparations.   
  
----------------------------------  
  
A moment frozen in time, complete with soundtrack. Kenjo stood   
at the designated spot. He'd just glanced down at his watch. It   
was 6:02 pm. Looking up, the moment.   
  
The image hit him first, of course, but the song came unbidden   
soon after from an old Fred Astaire movie he'd seen at school.  
  
Someday . . . when I'm awfully low  
when the world is cold  
I will feel a glow just thinking of you  
and the way you look tonight  
  
From bottom to top: knee-high black leather boots; white tights;   
a woolen skirt, plaid but predominantly red; layered blouses, red   
silk over lacy white-cotton, with a red sweater draped over for   
warmth; blonde hair hanging down, kept back with a red band   
trimmed in gold. Draped over one shoulder, a black suede Chanel   
bag, the interlocking Cs and gold-chain strap brought back sudden   
memories of hours spent trying to master the "Love-Me-Chain" and   
"Venus Crescent Beam" attacks in the latest Sailor V videogame.   
  
'Mako was right, she is much too beautiful for me, or anyone,' he   
pondered briefly, before re-engaging conscious thought processes.  
  
"Shinozaki-san," Minako called, smiling at his reaction.   
Clearly, the outfit was a success. "I hope you weren't waiting   
long."  
  
To his credit, Kenjo regrouped quickly. "Not at all, and, please,   
no need for such formality. I've heard so much about you, I feel   
I already know you." Kenjo bowed and began to walk down the   
street.  
  
Minako laughed lightly, "Very well, Kenjo-kun. I hope you   
haven't believed everything you've heard." She fell into step   
beside him.  
  
"Only the good things, Minako-san," he replied, darting a wry   
glance her way. "Thanks for coming."  
  
"Makoto mentioned something about rakish charm," Minako teased.   
"I see she was not too far off. Given that, how could I resist?   
So, where are we headed?"  
  
"Well, there is a new place that opened a few months ago. I've   
never been there, but Mako-chan assures me it is excellent.   
Mostly French cuisine, with some other European stuff as well."  
  
Minako noted the 'Mako-chan.' She'd known that Kenjo and Makoto   
were close and thus, was not really surprised. Still, his use of   
it seemed to indicate that he wanted her to know about that   
closeness. Minako knew a lot about dating (being the Senshi of   
Love had its advantages, after all), and one thing she knew was   
that most guys had an agenda when they went on a date. Usually,   
the agenda was depressingly predictable. So far, so good, on   
that count, but it was early yet. She really hoped she wouldn't   
have to slap Makoto's friend, but would if necessary.   
  
"Sounds lovely," she said aloud. "Can I ask you why you wanted to   
take me to dinner? I know we've met a couple times, but to hear   
Mako-chan tell it, you've been resisting her attempts to set us   
up for a long time now." She peeked over to gauge his reaction   
to her comment.  
  
Kenjo looked around conspiratorially and then leaned closer. "Can   
you keep a secret?" he whispered.  
  
Intrigued, Minako nodded.  
  
"Well, I have an agenda, with multiple layers," he began. "Most   
importantly, and the reason for doing this tonight instead of   
some other time, is that I needed to talk to one of Mako-chan's   
close friends."  
  
Minako's eyes narrowed as she glared at Kenjo. "Why would you   
need to do that?" Suddenly, an idea occurred. "She's not in any   
sort of trouble, is she?" Anxiety replaced suspicion in her blue   
eyes.  
  
"No, no, nothing to be worried about and nothing bad either, I   
promise you," Kenjo reassured her. "It's a little complicated,   
but I will explain completely, later."  
  
"So, is that all I am to you, an information source?" Minako   
asked in an overly-dramatic aggrieved tone.  
  
Kenjo laughed, "I think not. Like I said, multiple layers.   
Mako-chan comes first, but I am neither stupid nor dead. Taking   
an interesting, beautiful young woman to dinner is certainly no   
chore."  
  
"Hmmm." Minako considered his response. "I suppose that is a   
decent enough save, but I really am not used to being someone's   
secondary consideration on a date." Again, she feigned annoyance   
that she didn't really feel. In some regards, it was a relief to   
be out on a date where the focus was not on her, her, her. It   
certainly took the pressure off of living up to unrealistic   
expectations.  
  
Kenjo stopped and turned to face Minako. She was startled by how   
serious and earnest he looked. "I am sorry, Minako-san. I really   
do not want you to think that you are secondary in any way. I   
have heard so much about you and, for a long time, I'd been   
trying to get up the nerve to let Mako-chan 'set us up'. It's   
just that, I'm only home for a week and there are some things I   
have to do before I go back to school. For her. I thought I   
could 'kill two birds in the same bush', as they say, but that is   
probably not very fair to you."   
  
Minako cocked her head to one side and considered this odd young   
man before her. He really was not unattractive at all. Dark   
hair and dark eyes set off by a black button-down shirt and gray   
slacks; he was certainly her type. Searching his expression, she   
could see the concern in his eyes. He really did have something   
he needed to discuss regarding Makoto, but right now, he was   
mostly afraid that he'd offended her. A warmth began to overtake   
her and she could almost feel herself blushing.   
  
"I think the expression is 'two birds with one stone'," she   
gently replied.   
  
Kenjo chuckled, still uncertain. "Sorry, I'm really not very   
good with proverbs."  
  
A sudden burst of light shone in her eyes and spread through her   
whole visage. "Hey! That's the first time I've ever gotten to   
correct someone about something like that!" She touched him   
gently on the shoulder. "I think I like it the way you said it   
better anyway. That's the problem with proverbs. Whenever you   
try to improve them, someone comes down on you for getting it   
wrong!" Minako smiled, to let him know everything was fine, and   
began to walk again, slowly so he could catch up.  
  
For a moment, Kenjo simply stood there watching her. When he'd   
realized how mercenary he had been in setting up this date, he'd   
felt simply horrible. Yes, there was little he would not do for   
Makoto, but he had been so focused on her that he'd failed to   
consider how Minako might feel about it. The direct way in which   
she'd expressed her concern, and the ease with which she'd   
accepted his apology and moved on, made his heart race for some   
reason. 'She truly is beautiful,' he considered, without one   
thought of her appearance. Dragging himself from his reverie, he   
hustled to catch up to her.  
  
For the rest of the walk to the restaurant and over dinner,   
Minako and Kenjo spoke not at all about Makoto, or any of the   
other senshi. They discussed schoolwork (both did it, neither   
liked it much) and life at college (they both loved it, except   
for the schoolwork). She asked about life in Kyoto and they   
spent some time comparing the two cities. They talked about the   
prospects of the Japanese volleyball team at the upcoming Pan-  
Asian games and also about politics and the latest movies and   
music. As they waited for coffee and dessert, Kenjo realized   
that he'd completely forgotten about Makoto, about everything   
really other than this fascinating young woman in front of him.  
  
Minako noticed when the spell was broken. Something had   
distracted Kenjo; she could tell because for the last hour or two   
she'd been completely focused on him. She knew now that there   
would be no slapping tonight. The naughty part of her wondered   
what it would take to make _him_ slap _her_, and that line of   
thought brought a blush that she hoped matched her blouse. She   
could not recall the last time she'd been with someone who took   
such a genuine interest in her. Not just her body, her hair, her   
face, but in her feelings, her opinions, her dreams. With a   
start, she remembered what his agenda had been, and again started   
to worry about Makoto.  
  
"Minako-san," Kenjo started carefully, "I was wondering if you'd   
ever noticed that Mako-chan was closer to any one of your friends   
in particular."  
  
An odd question and one that made her stop to think. Just   
getting her mind out of that spell was difficult enough for   
Minako, but she could see in his eyes how important this was to   
Kenjo, so she considered it thoroughly. He waited patiently, if   
not with a little bit of anxiety, while she formed her answer.  
  
"We're all very close to one another," she replied eventually,   
"as I'm sure she's told you. But, that said, there are degrees.   
Usagi and Rei share something very special that neither of them   
share with anyone else. Ami and Rei have known each other the   
longest, except for Usagi, who really brought us all together.   
They were all very close before I got to know them at all, but   
I've always considered Usagi my closest friend. As far as Makoto   
goes, well, I guess I'd have to say that she's closest to Ami."  
  
Kenjo smiled, as if this was the answer he'd expected, but still   
he gestured her to go on.  
  
"With Ami's mom gone a lot of the time, and, well you know about   
Makoto's situation, they spend a lot of time together. Almost   
every night, I think. When all of us get together, they usually   
sit next to each other and sometimes the rest of us catch them   
whispering and laughing together privately," Minako concluded.   
"Why do you ask?"  
  
"I'll explain, I promise," he said. "First though, does Ami have   
a boyfriend?"  
  
Minako couldn't see the connection between this question and   
the last, but again decided to trust him and answer to the best   
of her ability. "No, not really. There's this one guy who's   
always trying to go out with her, but she only wants to be   
friends." Minako paused for a moment. "You know, I don't think   
she's ever really had a boyfriend."  
  
"And this guy, the one who wants to date her, is that Urawa-san?"  
  
"Yes, but I thought we were here to talk about Makoto, not Ami,"   
Minako exclaimed.  
  
Kenjo took a deep breath. He knew what he had to do, but   
couldn't shake the feeling that somehow he was betraying one of   
Makoto's confidences, something he'd never done. Still, he   
reminded himself, she had never told him this, it was only a   
suspicion on his part, and Minako was one of her dearest friends.   
Gazing over at her, he could see that she recognized he was   
deliberating about something important. The look she gave him   
was full of support and trust. Again, his desire to help his   
friend was momentarily sidetracked by a sudden lightheadedness.   
His face softened and his eyes smiled; he knew he could trust her   
and that he was doing the right thing.  
  
"I think that Makoto is in love with Mizuno Ami, but I'm not sure   
if she realizes it," Kenjo spurted out.   
  
Minako's eyes went wide and she prepared to debunk this craziness   
immediately. His expression stopped her, however. Kenjo was   
deadly serious, and really worried. She caught herself before   
responding.  
  
"I think she might need help, Minako-san, and I want to help her,   
but I'm not sure how to go about it," he added.  
  
Minako closed her eyes and tried to remember everything she could   
about Makoto and Ami. Without trying very hard, she recalled a   
variety of things which could be seen as supporting his idea.   
Actually, the more she thought about it, the more sense it made.   
Despite constant references to her old sempai, Makoto had not   
really dated at all since they met back in Jr. High. 'Unless you   
count Haruka," she chuckled. She could remember Makoto dancing   
back in school...but come to think of it, that had been with Ami.   
Minako suddenly remembered a few weeks ago, walking into Makoto's   
kitchen after a wonderful dinner, and watching her and Ami   
washing and drying dishes together. She'd said something to the   
effect of 'you two look like an old married couple' and Makoto   
had actually dropped a plate! 'Maybe it wasn't my voice that   
startled her, but what I actually said.'  
  
Opening her eyes, she saw Kenjo patiently awaiting her   
response. There weren't many men who would actually give a woman   
time to think; so many of them always seemed to be in a big rush   
for some reason. "I think you might be right," she finally said.   
"But, what kind of help do you mean?" That could be taken in a   
number of ways, and she needed to know how he felt about the idea   
of Makoto and Ami.  
  
Kenjo sighed, unaware till then that he'd been holding his   
breath. "I want to help them get together, if that's what would   
make her, them I suppose, happy, but I don't know how to help   
with that. So, what can we do?"  
  
Minako considered this, noting with relief that he wasn't going   
to suggest they try to 'cure' Makoto or anything ridiculous like   
that. "Well, I guess we'd need to figure out if Ami feels the   
same way. She's very hard to read, at least for me. Ami is more   
likely to open up to Rei, so maybe Rei would know." She snorted   
with some annoyance. "They're both so silly sometimes. Even if   
they weren't busy deluding themselves, they'd just start trying   
to delude everyone else. Neither of them is big on expressing   
their emotions openly."  
  
Kenjo nodded sadly, "She's been hurt so badly before. Can you   
blame her?"  
  
"No, I suppose not. And poor Ami, people have been labeling her   
and putting her into boxes for so many years, it's no wonder she   
has a hard time figuring out her own true feelings."  
  
"So, what can we do?" Kenjo asked again.  
  
"I think you've done all you can," Minako replied, adding, "for   
now, that is. Let me talk to Rei, and maybe Usagi."  
  
"You'll let me know how I can help, right?" Kenjo pleaded. "I'm   
supposed to be back in school next week, but I can make it back   
here really fast if you need me."  
  
Minako reached out and laid a hand gently on his. His eyes   
widened and shot toward hers, just as she felt the spark shoot up   
her arm. Putting that aside for the moment, she said, "You love   
her, but so do we. I'll let you know, I promise, but for now,   
you'd better just leave it alone. It may be that none of us can   
do anything but wait for them to sort it out themselves."  
  
"I'm just afraid that, left to themselves, they never will,"   
Kenjo pointed out glumly. The feel of her hand on his skin was   
warming his entire body. Bravely, he laid his other hand on top   
of hers. "Thank you, Minako-san, for everything." A blush rose   
over her cheeks like a sunrise.   
  
Suddenly, something caught his eye from across the restaurant.   
He had been so wrapped up; it had taken a while to register.   
Leaning forward slowly, he whispered, "Behind you, at 7:00, in   
the trenchcoat and dark glasses. Isn't that your friend, Usagi?"  
  
Minako caught herself. When he'd laid his hand over hers and   
then leaned forward, she'd extended her face ('Face, Minako? Be   
honest! You extended your lips!' that naggy little voice in her   
head chided.) Now, she pretended to stretch her neck and back,   
looking where he'd indicated. Six years ago, she wouldn't have   
been able to catch herself before screaming 'USAGI' at the top of   
her lungs. Fortunately, age brought wisdom.   
  
"Excuse me one moment," she said politely, standing up. Her   
hands felt suddenly cold. Regretfully, she stalked toward the   
back of the dining room.   
  
Standing before Usagi's table, she deliberately unclenched her   
fists. "What are you doing here, meatball-head, and what is with   
that pathetic disguise?!" she hissed.  
  
Usagi giggled and stammered for a moment. "Well, [heh-heh]..   
Luna took the pen away from me after that time I used it to..."   
In a flash, she smiled broadly and whispered, "He's really cute,   
Mina-chan, and it looks like you guys are getting along! I can't   
believe you were going to kiss him on your first date!"  
  
Minako blanched, then blushed even more deeply than before.   
Sweat appeared on her forehead as she leaned down with a   
frightened look back at Kenjo. "I was NOT going to kiss him, I   
was just trying to hear him better and you haven't told me what   
you're doing here, messing up my date!" Gently, but firmly, she   
'assisted' Usagi to her feet.  
  
Usagi grinned, "I had a feeling that this one was special, I   
could just tell! I'm going, I'm going, no need to shove!"  
  
Minako had Usagi halfway to the door. "Get out of here, meatball   
head!" Then, she remembered something. "We need to meet,   
tomorrow! Can you tell Rei?"  
  
"Sure, I'll call her from Makoto's place. I can tell her and Ami   
there."  
  
"No, just Rei, you, and I! It's important. Don't tell Ami or   
Makoto!" Minako urged.  
  
Usagi gave her a funny look, but agreed. "Ok, ok, and you can   
stop shoving, I'm leaving! Sheesh!"   
  
After removing the spy from their midst, Minako returned to the   
table to find a very amused Shinozaki Kenjo.  
  
"Hmmph, just for that look, he will have to wait till the next   
date!" she thought. Approximately 2 hours later, after he'd   
walked her home and said goodnight (and left without a fuss),   
Minako realized that she'd not only decided that there would be a   
second date, but that just about nothing would stop her from   
kissing him before it was over. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Tuesday afternoon/evening  
-----------------  
  
"See ya!" Makoto said, hanging up the phone. She smiled to   
herself and wandered into the kitchen. Busying herself with   
slicing vegetables, boiling water, and other culinary   
preparations, Makoto drifted into that happy kind of daze that   
comes with ritualistic activity. Occasional thoughts would   
intrude ('I hope he doesn't try too hard' or 'I'd better add more   
peppers, Ami really loves them', for example) but, in general,   
the time passed quickly.  
  
"Mako-chan? Are you here? Is it Ok that I let myself in?"  
  
Makoto peeked out to her entryway, a large bowl in hand. "Ami-  
chan, I've told you a hundred times that it is Ok for you to let   
yourself in! That's why I gave you a spare key, silly."  
  
As Ami removed her boots, the smell of dinner surrounded her.   
Classes had been interesting, as usual, but long, and it was good   
to be... home? 'I suppose it is like a second home to me,' she   
considered. Actually, being completely honest with herself, Ami   
realized that she felt more comfortable here than she did at home   
sometimes. 'That's because Mako-chan is here; it is not so empty   
like home can be.'   
  
"How was school today?" Makoto called from the kitchen. Ami   
stepped in to find her friend working diligently over a number of   
pots and pans at once. Ami always enjoyed watching Makoto cook.   
The precision, the joy, and the passion with which her friend   
approached each meal never ceased to amaze her. Makoto brought   
order and beauty from chaos. Though she couldn't cook, Ami still   
liked to help as much as possible, so she began to set the table   
in the dining room.  
  
"A little long, truthfully, though interesting," Ami responded to   
the question. "My test went well, I think, though I hadn't   
prepared as well as I normally do."  
  
Makoto came out with a salad bowl and set it on the table. "Ami-  
chan, I never really heard why exactly it was that Urawa-san   
showed up yesterday afternoon." Makoto remembered distinctly   
when Ami had mentioned in passing during dinner the night before   
that her old 'friend' Urawa Ryu had appeared unexpectedly at the   
ice cream parlor. The thought had been plaguing her ever since,   
though she chalked it up to simple curiosity.   
  
Ami looked up at Makoto and was surprised to see that her friend   
seemed annoyed for some reason. "I'm sorry, Mako-chan! I wasn't   
trying to keep it a secret."  
  
"Huh? Of course not!" Makoto exclaimed. "I'm just curious, that's   
all. Why would it bother me?"  
  
Ami lowered her gaze and replied quietly, "Well, it would upset   
me if a good friend was keeping something important a secret from   
me."  
  
Makoto laughed, "No, it wouldn't!" She moved around and gave Ami   
a quick hug. "You would be completely understanding and patient."   
Gradually, Makoto became aware of the fact that she was hugging   
Ami still. Dropping her arm quickly, she headed back toward the   
kitchen, slightly breathless. "In any case, I'm not upset, but   
you still haven't told me. You don't have to, of course."  
  
Ami tried in vain to gather herself. Why was her heart racing   
so? 'I suppose I'm relieved that she's not mad. She looked so   
upset for that one moment, though,' she thought. She could still   
feel the weight of Makoto's arms around her, though Makoto   
herself was already back in the kitchen.  
  
"He was worried about me, or that is what he said," Ami informed   
her, continuing on with the table setting. "He's a psychic and I   
guess he had a vision."  
  
Makoto darted out of the kitchen. "A vision? Are you Ok? Did   
anything happen to you?" Ami had not seen Makoto this agitated   
since their last battle.  
  
"No, no, nothing like that," Ami reassured her. "I was just   
feeling a little blue. I went and talked to Rei and felt a lot   
better."  
  
Relief shifted to disappointment on Makoto's face. Some people   
could hide their emotions, but Makoto wasn't one of them. This   
was one reason she rarely played poker. "You went to talk to   
Rei-chan, huh? Good, I'm glad that helped."   
  
Ami stepped around the table and laid a hand on Makoto's   
shoulder, smiling up into her emerald eyes. "Silly duck, I would   
have talked to you, but you were busy." The smile faded. "I   
believe you were at the sports center, with Shinozaki."  
  
"Oh yeah," Makoto recalled. A quick trip to the kitchen and she   
returned with dinner. Placing it on the table, she sat across   
from her friend and started to eat. For a time, each focused on   
their meal and the room grew quiet.   
  
'Normally, I enjoy eating quietly with Mako-chan,' Ami realized.   
'I love that she doesn't feel the need to fill a silence.'   
Tonight, though, something was different and Ami began to imagine   
the silence weighing down on her.   
  
Makoto ate her meal, but didn't taste any of it. 'Why should it   
matter who Ami goes to talk to when she's upset? The important   
thing is that she feels better. She's known Rei longer anyway.'   
Still, Makoto couldn't shake the glum feeling that had come over   
her. To her credit, she never really let herself wish that   
Kenjo had never come home. It was good to see him, after   
all. But the thought made some attempts to creep in, from time   
to time.  
  
"Ami-chan, if Urawa-san came all that way because he was worried   
about you, why did you end going to see Rei-chan?" Makoto asked.  
  
Ami paused with a puzzled look. If she had known how incredibly   
cute Makoto found that expression, she would have blushed deeply   
as well. But, she didn't. "He was acting a bit strange. He ran   
off quite suddenly." Concern washed over Ami's face. "Mako-chan,   
you don't think there might be a new threat?"  
  
Makoto shook her head, "I don't think we have any evidence of   
that. Maybe he was just taken aback by how pretty you looked   
yesterday. You know how he feels about you."   
  
Ami did blush now, at the compliment. "I have explained to him   
that I only see him as a friend. I hope he will respect that."  
  
"Why only a friend, Ami-chan?" Makoto asked carefully.   
  
"I just don't have those kinds of feelings, at least not for   
him," Ami answered. Suddenly she stood up, "I don't understand   
why everyone is so concerned about who I love!"   
  
Makoto gasped and rose, "Ami-chan, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to   
press you or get out of line. Please, don't be mad!"  
  
Embarrassed by her outburst, Ami shivered and sat back down   
quickly. "Oh Mako-chan, I should be the one to apologize. We   
were just chatting. I didn't mean to yell like that. I guess,   
first Ryu-kun, then Rei-chan, then you. No one ever asks me that   
kind of thing, then all of a sudden..."   
  
"It's ok, Ami-chan," Makoto murmured. "We can talk about   
something else." Raising her voice back to normal levels, she   
changed the subject. "So, how do you think Mina-chan is doing on   
her date?" Ami's appreciative smile, and obvious look of relief,   
made Makoto's heart quiver.   
  
"I'm sure they are having a good time. Minako-chan is so sweet   
and you say that your friend is very nice and kind," Ami   
surmised. "It was very good of you to arrange their date."  
  
Makoto laughed. She had some idea of what kind of torment Minako   
could be making for poor Kenjo, either if he annoyed her   
(unlikely in Makoto's mind) or if she really liked him (quite   
possible). Ami, however, didn't seem to think of her friends   
that way. "I hope so. You certainly seemed relieved when I said   
that he wanted a date with her. Don't you find him interesting?"   
she asked in a light tone.  
  
Ami grinned, "No, it's not that at all. I'm sure he is very   
interesting and I can certainly see where some women would find   
him attractive." 'And it means that you aren't secret lovers,'   
she added to herself, even if she didn't fully get why such a   
thing would have bothered her so deeply, had it been true.  
  
Finishing up her meal, Makoto grabbed her dishes and headed into   
the kitchen, soon followed by Ami. Without discussion, they   
moved to the sink and began washing the dishes together,   
operating as a seamless unit. "So, he's not your type, then?"   
Makoto inquired.   
  
Ami blushed again and lowered her gaze. "No, not really."  
  
"May I ask what is your type?" Makoto said quietly, hoping not to   
upset her again.  
  
Ami laughed, "Rei-chan asked me the same thing, yesterday, so   
you'll understand why I have such a ready answer. Tall, gentle,   
loving, light brown hair, bright eyes, supportive, strong.   
Nothing too strange, I hope." She glanced over at Makoto,   
looking up into shining green eyes. 'Oh my,' she thought.  
  
Noticing that Ami had stopped taking dishes from her to dry,   
Makoto turned to see what was up and found the young woman gazing   
at her, seemingly lost in thought. Out of the blue, Makoto   
remembered something Minako had said some weeks ago, something   
about 'an old married couple.' She could feel sweat forming on   
her brow, and suspected it had little to do with the hot   
dishwater.   
  
With a shake of her head, Ami grabbed the next dish and proceeded   
with the drying. Makoto, too, snapped out it and got back to   
work. Soon, they were done and Ami went to make some coffee   
while Makoto placed some pastries on a plate for them to share.   
  
A few hundred calories later, Ami asked Makoto a question. "So,   
what is your type, Mako-chan?"  
  
"Huh?" Makoto realized she'd been lost in thought, but couldn't   
recall what she might have been contemplating. "My type? Well, I   
guess I've got a quick answer, too. Kenjo-chan asked me   
something similar."  
  
"What did you tell him?" Ami prodded, with some intensity.  
  
"You know, the usual, dark hair, blue eyes, smart, caring,   
someone you can trust and protect and lean on." Makoto grinned.   
"Not him, of course. We figured out way back that that just   
doesn't work very well. Now, we spend half our time together   
trying to set each other up. I really hope he and Minako hit it   
off. I think they'd be good for each other."  
  
Ami realized with a start that she'd stopped listening somewhere   
around "lean on". 'Oh my,' she thought again, as a warm feeling   
of light trickled through her body.   
  
"Ami-chan, what was it that had you so upset the other day,   
anyway?" Makoto asked, noticing that Ami seemed a bit spaced out.  
  
"Just feeling a little lonely, that's all," Ami answered with an   
embarrassed smile. She really hoped that Makoto wouldn't grill   
her. She thought she might have a lead on it, now, but needed   
some time to think it through.  
  
"Is the feeling gone now?"   
  
"Yes, Mako-chan, everything is just fine now."   
  
"I'm glad," Makoto beamed at her. "I don't like worrying about my   
little Ami-chan." Though she'd said such things in her   
'motherly' way often before, both Ami and Makoto noted the change   
in tone this time. 'Motherly' was the last thing that Makoto was   
feeling at the moment.  
  
"Mako-chan, would you be terribly upset if I left early tonight?   
There are some things I need to...take care of at home." Ami knew   
that she needed some time to sort out her thoughts. Though the   
idea of leaving brought with it a sharp, cold twinge, she   
understood that she'd never figure out what was going on in her   
head if she remained. The look of disappointment on Makoto's   
face warmed the chill, though Ami felt guilty about taking joy   
from her friend's unhappiness.  
  
"Sure, that's fine. I need to review some things for class   
tomorrow and there's a match I wanted to see on the sports   
channel," Makoto replied, almost convincingly.   
  
"Thank you for dinner, as always, Mako-chan," Ami said as she   
moved toward the entry. She put on her boots as Makoto came over   
to get the door for her.   
  
"You're always welcome, Ami-chan, you know that. My home is your   
home!" Again, something Makoto had said to Ami a hundred times,   
tonight came out quite differently.   
  
Ami smiled and leaned up to Makoto, laying her hands on her   
friend's shoulders. Pulling herself up on her toes, she kissed   
Makoto lightly on the cheek. Stunned by her own audacity, she   
paused, losing herself for a moment. "Till tomorrow, silly   
duck," she whispered, and then she was gone.  
  
Makoto stood for some time by the doorway, the warmth of Ami's   
lips lingering on her cheek. 'Oh my', she thought.  
  
----------------  
Urawa Ryu watched from a shadowed doorway as Mizuno Ami left the   
apartment building and headed toward her own place. Looking at   
his watch, he noted that it was still quite early. She'd only   
been in there a couple of hours. That was a good sign, he   
figured. He wished he had the nerve to go after her, but in all   
that time, he hadn't been able to think of an excuse for why he   
might be in this neighborhood at this time of night. Though he   
knew he was doing nothing wrong, he sensed that Ami might not   
understand. 'She has never understood. She needs me to help her   
understand. She's confused, but I'll help her see the way things   
are.'  
  
All in all, Ryu felt quite relieved. When he'd checked the   
mailboxes in the lobby of that building and seen Kino Makoto's   
name, he'd gotten a nasty premonition. However, leaving this   
early, it was clear that they had just shared dinner. Yes, he   
was certain, Ami certainly wasn't 'that way.' Tomorrow, he'd   
track her down after her classes and he just knew that he'd say   
the right things, to make her see.   
  
As he got ready to head home himself, Ryu looked up at the moon,   
high above. Suddenly, a chill went down his spine, and all of   
his certainty vanished. There, up high, he saw it. And he saw   
Her. Standing, on a balcony, also looking up at the moon.   
Though the distance was great, he just knew it was Kino, and deep   
within the core of his very being, he knew that he'd been on that   
balcony, if only in a vision.   
  
'It's not me.'   
  
Ami had taught Ryu something very important, though, long ago.   
The future was what you made of it.  
  
'No, it _wasn't_ me. But it will be. It will be.' 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six - Wednesday afternoon/evening  
----------------------------------  
[afternoon]  
  
Usagi dashed up the steps at the Hikawa Shrine, late as usual.   
This time, it was not really her fault. After class, she'd   
headed immediately to her meeting with Minako and Rei, but she'd   
bumped into someone.  
  
---  
"Usagi-chan, wait up! You trying to catch a bus or something?"   
  
Usagi stopped and turned toward the familiar voice, "Naru-chan!   
What are you doing here?"  
  
"Oh, you know, I had the afternoon off from mom's store so I   
figured I'd try to catch you after class, maybe we could go get   
some ice cream or something?" Naru smiled hopefully.  
  
"Oh, Naru-chan, I'm so sorry, but I have a meeting I have to get   
to." Usagi frowned with disappointment, trying to recall the last   
occasion she'd had time to just chat with her old best friend.   
  
That thought brought about equal amounts of nostalgia and regret.   
She really loved Naru, and they'd been through so much together,   
but Naru could never really understand what it was like, to be a   
sailor senshi, a moon princess. It seemed like all at once,   
she'd met Mamoru and soon after Naru had hooked up with Umino   
and, ever since, they just hadn't spent the same amount of time   
together. The fact that Naru was apprenticing in her mother's   
jewelry store, while Usagi struggled through college, made things   
even more difficult.  
  
The dejection that washed over Naru's face made Usagi pause.   
"Naru-chan, is something wrong?"  
  
"Oh, it's nothing, you go ahead to your meeting, I'll be fine,"   
Naru replied, trying to put on a brave front.   
  
"No, it's not nothing. I can tell. There's something bothering   
you," Usagi stated. "Come on, my meeting will just have to wait a   
bit."  
  
"Really, Usagi-chan, it's fine..." Naru started, but her voice   
broke and tears began to form in her eyes.   
  
"Oh, Naru-chan," Usagi sighed. Reaching out, she took her   
friend's hand in her own and led her to a nearby park. Usagi had   
long ago found a nice, secluded bench, perfect for private   
meetings. Recalling some of those meetings (all had been with   
Mamoru) brought some perspiration to her forehead.   
  
Sitting down, Usagi drew Naru down next to her, still holding her   
hand. "Tell me, Naru-chan, what's happened? It's not something   
with..."  
  
At the mere hint of Umino's name, Naru broke out in a fresh bout   
of tears. She wordlessly handed a moist piece of paper to Usagi.   
Scanning it quickly, Usagi soon realized it was a letter,   
from Umino to Naru. The gist of it seemed to be that he'd met   
someone at school. Now, he thought that it wasn't fair for him   
to keep Naru from meeting someone of her own, so he believed that   
they should just be friends. 'That jerk!' Usagi thought. 'Naru   
loved him when he was still a googly-eyed nerd. Now some college   
tart latches on to him, once he's matured, and he drops poor Naru   
like a hot potato!'  
  
Turning to the side, Usagi wrapped her arms around Naru and drew   
her into a comforting embrace. For some time, she simply stroked   
her hair and murmured calming things into her ear. In one way,   
Umino was right. Naru could and would do better, but that didn't   
excuse his methods.   
  
After awhile, the sobbing subsided and Naru leaned back. "I must   
look like a mess," she laughed hesitantly. "And I've gotten make-  
up all over your blouse."  
  
"You look fine, Naru-chan, and blouses can be washed," Usagi   
reassured her. "I'm sorry it happened that way."  
  
"Oh, I've kind of been expecting it for awhile now," Naru said.   
"Ever since he went off to school, we've been drifting apart. I   
guess, even when you know it's coming, it still hurts, huh?"  
  
Usagi nodded and squeezed her hands gently.  
  
"You're so lucky, Usagi-chan. I know your Mamoru would never   
send you a letter like that. How do you guys do it, with him   
gone so much?"  
  
Usagi sighed, "We're meant for each other. And I'm sure you will   
find your prince, too, Naru-chan."  
  
Naru laid her head on Usagi's shoulder and took a deep breath. "I   
guess you're right." For some time, they simply remained in   
that pose: Naru leaning against Usagi, Usagi's arm draped over   
her shoulder.   
  
After the long, comfortable silence, Naru raised her eyes to   
Usagi's. "Usagi-chan, do you remember the time I slept over...."   
She broke off, blushing furiously.   
  
The hopeful look in her friend's eyes was like a dagger stabbing   
into Usagi's heart. Naru had slept over many times when they   
were in school, of course, but Usagi knew which occasion she   
meant. "I remember, Naru-chan," she answered gently, carefully.  
  
"Do you ever wonder, well..." Naru continued before embarrassment   
stopped her voice again.  
  
Usagi shushed her and leaned down to kiss her forehead.   
"Sometimes, Naru-chan, sometimes. You know that I'll marry   
Mamoru one day, and you will be in my wedding party. I hope   
you'll ask me to be in yours, when you wed. I think you're just   
upset by that letter."  
  
"I know, you're right, Usagi-chan," Naru laughed, her   
embarrassment gone. "I've thought of it, too, but it was just   
something that happened, once. It was really nice, though,   
wasn't it?"  
  
Usagi blushed beet red. "Yes, Naru-chan, it really was."   
Slowly, she leaned down. Naru raised her head off of Usagi's   
shoulder, tilting it to one side. Their lips met, eyes closed,   
and they allowed themselves a brief visit back to that one   
special evening. Usagi marveled at how soft her friend's lips   
were, how delicate her tongue as it danced with hers.   
  
Moments passed, that at the time seemed like ages, but in   
retrospect would seem all too brief. Naru sighed and pulled   
away. "I love you, Usagi-chan." Usagi beamed at her. "I love   
you, too, Naru-chan."   
  
Though they'd drifted apart somewhat, the bonds between these two   
young women were still very strong. Usagi knew that Naru would   
be all right now. Naru understood that she had received   
something that she'd desperately needed. Now she could move   
forward with her life. After a bit longer, Naru reminded Usagi   
that she had a meeting to get to, and reassured her that she'd be   
fine. Sensing that it was true, Usagi got up to go and the two   
friends made tentative plans to go shopping together sometime   
soon.   
  
And so, it really wasn't Usagi's fault that she was late. If   
hanyone, it was Umino's!  
  
--------------  
[evening]  
  
"Hellooooo, anyone home?" Usagi called from the entryway as she   
stepped into Haruka and Michiru's apartment. Though she'd   
outgrown many of her old habits, she still saw an unlocked door   
more as an invitation than a barrier.   
  
The moon was just starting to rise in the sky, and she hoped that   
she was interrupting her friends' dinner. Her stomach rumbled   
its agreement with that desire. The meeting with Rei and Minako   
had gone on a long time, and Rei never had enough goodies at her   
temple.   
  
It had been quite an afternoon, not even counting her little   
encounter with Naru. Given where she was at the moment, Usagi   
tried to put that out of her mind. She felt like one of those   
manga characters with a big sweatdrop on her forehead when she   
thought about it too much. 'How ironic, given the topic of the   
big meeting', she considered. Early on, the comparison of notes   
between Minako and Rei, backed up by Usagi's own observations   
(she'd long had her suspicions about those two) had led them all   
to the same conclusion. The bulk of the time, however, had been   
spent debating what to do about it.   
  
After a great deal of brainstorming, a few brawls with Rei, and a   
long digression concerning Minako's date with Shinozaki Kenjo,   
they had decided to split up. Rei, for reasons Usagi still   
didn't quite understand, seemed concerned about the role that   
Urawa Ryu was to play in this. Minako, for reasons Usagi   
understood all too well, felt that she should meet with Shinozaki   
again to discuss things with him. Usagi, therefore, had been   
delegated with the most immediate and obvious mission, a   
diplomatic fact-finding junket to consult with the experts in the   
field at hand.  
  
"Haruka-san? Michiru-san?" she called again.   
  
"Hey, meatball head," Haruka replied, stepping out of the   
kitchen. "I thought I heard someone shouting out here." She gave   
Usagi a wry look. "Did I leave our door open? That isn't like   
me."  
  
Usagi chuckled and blushed, closing the door behind her. "I'm   
not interrupting your dinner, am I?" she asked, trying not to   
look too eager.   
  
"Michiru has rehearsal late tonight, so I was just popping   
something in the microwave for myself." Haruka waved Usagi   
forward and went back into the kitchen. "I've got some leftovers   
from last night. Do you want some?"  
  
"Well, if you insist," Usagi replied, going for 'demure   
politeness.'   
  
Haruka just smiled and gestured to a chair. "Have a seat, this   
won't take long." After putting some dishes in the microwave and   
pushing a couple buttons, she turned and sat down across from   
Usagi. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure?" She raised an   
eyebrow and gave Usagi the once-over in her typically forward,   
flirty way.  
  
Normally, Usagi would have laughed this off. She enjoyed the   
little game that she and Haruka played. Haruka got to use   
flirting techniques and pick-up lines that would have otherwise   
atrophied, given her relationship with Michiru; Usagi got to play   
the innocent, naive little princess; and Michiru or Mamoru got to   
feign jealousy and exact revenge, usually much later and rather   
privately. Fun for all! Today, however, Usagi blushed deeply   
and couldn't meet Haruka's gaze. Between Naru and her mission,   
she was understandably a bit more sensitive than usual in this   
particular area.  
  
Haruka noticed immediately that Usagi wasn't playing along as   
usual. She cocked her head to one side and considered the   
princess before her. She obviously was not just dropping by to   
say "Hi". "Something wrong, little rabbit? Did you and 'Mamo-  
chan' have a fight?"  
  
"No, nothing like that," Usagi replied, re-focusing on why she   
was here. "I came by to ask you and Michiru for some advice. We   
figured you guys were, well, you know, you'd be a good source of   
information."  
  
"What do you want to ask? Michiru won't be back for a while, but   
I'll help if I can," Haruka replied. She could guess which   
particular topic Usagi (and whoever else made up that 'we') would   
see them as experts in, but couldn't even begin to hazard a guess   
as to where this was going.   
  
"Well," Usagi began, trying to gather her courage, "when you and   
Michiru first, you know, got together...did you both just   
know...that you were each...that way? Or, did someone else help   
set you up?"  
  
"That's a rather personal question, don't you think?" Haruka   
asked calmly. "I don't mind answering, but I think I deserve a   
little explanation. Who wants to know, and why?"  
  
"I'd like to know before I tell you why," Usagi answered   
carefully, "but it's Rei, Minako, and I who need to know."  
  
Haruka lifted one eyebrow and smirked in a way that brought a new   
rush of color to Usagi's cheeks and thin line of sweat to her   
brow. Noting Usagi's reaction, Haruka laughed openly. "Meatball   
head, you're not going to tell me that... the three of you?...!"  
  
"No! Of course not!" Usagi yelled.   
  
"Why 'of course not'?" Haruka prodded. "You're all very close,   
you're all pretty cute. The way you and Rei bicker all the time,   
I always wondered what was going on there."  
  
Usagi calmed down and looked at Haruka quite seriously. "Haruka-  
san, you know that such a thing would never be possible between   
me and any of you."  
  
Till that moment, Haruka hadn't realized that the thought that   
Usagi might have become intimate with Rei or Minako (or both!)   
was bothering her so much, but now she recognized the adrenaline   
rush through her system. 'I'm actually jealous.' Recovering her   
wits, she continued, "Why not? Because of 'Mamo-chan'?"  
  
Usagi reached over and took Haruka's hand. "Haruka-san...Haruka-  
chan, even if I wanted to, which I do not, you know I could never   
let myself love any one of you like that."  
  
Haruka waited, looking skeptical and puzzled.  
  
With a sigh, Usagi explained. "I love my Mamo-chan, Haruka-chan.   
None of you can compete with him, for one glaringly obvious   
reason, among others. You _could_ compete with each other,   
though. Each of you, in your own way, was born to love and   
protect me. How would any of you react if I shared myself in   
that way with one of you in particular?"  
  
Haruka considered her words carefully, feeling no need to reply   
until she had thought through it all. She herself loved Michiru   
more than life itself, and she knew Michiru felt the same way   
about her. However, she also knew who it was that she could   
imagine coming between the two of them, the only other woman   
she'd ever seriously considered in that way since she'd met   
Michiru. Recalling that immediate burst of jealousy she'd just   
experienced, Haruka understood even more just how destructive it   
might have been if Usagi had ever shown that kind of preference   
for one of her senshi over the others.  
  
"You know something, meatball head," she said finally, with that   
characteristic smirk, "you're actually a lot smarter than you   
look."  
  
"Thank you," Usagi replied, before the words sank in. "Hey! What   
does that mean!" She was just revving up her trademark wailing   
when the buzzer on the microwave forestalled her performance.  
  
"Saved by the bell," Haruka noted, moving to get the food and put   
it out on plates. As she served the two of them, grabbing a   
couple of sodas out of the refrigerator as well, she gave Usagi a   
sly look. "It's a shame for you, though. You have no idea what   
you're missing."  
  
Suddenly, Usagi dropped her fork and once again blushed deeply,   
unable to form any sort of reply. Lights went on inside Haruka's   
mind. "You sly little wench! You _have_ messed around with a   
girl!"  
  
Usagi choked and grabbed the soda, drinking quickly, trying to   
recover. "Not really, well, just once, or twice. Not with any   
of the others," she added desperately.  
  
Haruka stifled a laugh and stared at Usagi, her penetrating gaze   
forcing the answer to her unspoken question.  
  
"It was a long time ago, before I even knew I was a sailor   
soldier," Usagi mumbled, "My friend Naru. We were just, well, you   
know... curious."  
  
Haruka smiled reassuringly, "It's ok, meatball head, calm down.   
There's nothing too unusual about that, especially at that age,   
and I promise I won't tell anyone. Well, no one other than   
Michiru, but I tell her everything. Your secret is safe with   
us." She chuckled and shook her head with some amazement. No   
matter what, her young princess never ceased to amaze her.   
  
"Now that you know my secret," Usagi said between gulps of hot   
food and cold soda, "are you going to answer my question?"  
  
Haruka had almost forgotten it in all of the turmoil, but now she   
paused to consider her reply. "We were introduced by a mutual   
friend, but not 'set up' in that way. We both figured out how   
the other felt, but it took some time. She knew how she felt   
before I did, and I couldn't bring myself to believe she could   
think of me in the same way I thought of her. Eventually, we   
sorted it out." Haruka grinned fondly, recalling those early   
days, when she'd discovered her destiny. 'I suppose my true   
destiny was to be Sailor Uranus and help save the world,' she   
considered, 'but it always feels like my real destiny is to have   
my Michiru by my side, forever.'  
  
Usagi sighed, both because her plate was now empty and because   
that wasn't the answer she'd been hoping for. Somehow, she, Rei,   
and Minako had hoped that there would be some sort of super-  
secret method that lesbians used to identify each other, that   
they could spring on Ami and Makoto. A silly idea, she knew, but   
it certainly would have made things easier.   
  
"Now, you owe me an answer, rabbit," Haruka reminded her. "Why do   
you want to know?"  
  
"Well, it's kind of a long story, but basically, we think that   
Ami and Makoto are secretly in love with each other, but that   
neither of them realizes it, and we're afraid that they will   
never figure it out, and we think they'd be so cute together and   
so happy, and we want to help them, and Minako is working with   
Makoto's friend Kenjo, but I think she's mainly doing that   
because she has a secret crush on him (they went out on a date   
and from what I saw it was going very well, but Minako was mean   
and made me stop spying on them) and Rei thinks that Ami's friend   
Ryu is up to no good, but she really doesn't know why, so she's   
trying to keep an eye on him, and I said 'Why don't we ask Haruka   
and Michiru for advice', you know because you guys are lesbians   
so you might have some inside information, and so we all agreed   
that I should come over here and...."  
  
"Take a breath, please!" Haruka pleaded, her head spinning, as   
she tried to parse what Usagi had just babbled at her. "You and   
Rei and Minako think that Ami and Makoto have feelings for each   
other?"  
  
"Yes, you see..." Usagi began, stopping when Haruka raised her   
palm.  
  
"And you all want to help, because you're worried that they won't   
be able to figure things out and deal with them on their own?"  
  
"Yes, we were..." Again, the palm.  
  
"I see," Haruka nodded. Taking a deep breath herself, she stood   
up and cleared the table. Usagi, nervously biting her nails,   
waited.   
  
"You should just leave them alone," Haruka finally advised. "If   
they really do feel that way about each other, then they need to   
figure it out on their own."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Wait. Listen," Haruka demanded. "If you guys try to interfere,   
at best, you are denying them the chance to realize things for   
themselves, maybe even taking away all the wonderful moments that   
come just before, or early on in, a romance. At worst, you could   
scare one or the other away from her true feelings. Do you   
understand?"  
  
Usagi silently nodded her head, feeling suddenly ashamed.  
  
Haruka gently chucked her on the shoulder, "Don't feel bad,   
little rabbit. It says a lot about how much you guys love your   
friends that you are being so supportive and trying to help."  
  
Usagi smiled. "Aren't you curious to know why we think they feel   
that way about each other?" she asked.  
  
Haruka laughed again. "Michiru and I have suspected as much for a   
long time now. I'm surprised it took you all this long to   
notice, but I guess you see some things more clearly from a   
distance. Let them be and things will sort themselves out."  
  
Standing up, Usagi bowed, thanking Haruka for the meal and the   
advice. "Give my regards to Michiru-san, please," she said as   
she got ready to leave.   
  
"I will." Haruka got the door for her friend. Once again, she   
very obviously looked her over from bottom to top. "Remember, if   
you ever decide to 'experiment' again, you know where I live. I'm   
sure Michiru wouldn't mind too much."  
  
This time, Usagi was able to play along. Lowering her eyes   
demurely, she murmured, "Haruka-san, you flatter me. As tempting   
as your invitation is, though, I could never do such a thing to   
dear Michiru-san." She laid one hand delicately on her chest and   
raised her gaze to meet her friend's, suppressing a good-natured   
laugh. "Besides," she added with a grin, "she would too mind,   
and you know it!"   
  
Haruka reached out and tousled her hair, "Take care, meatball   
head, and don't be such a stranger."  
  
"Bye, Haruka-san!" she called as she headed for the elevator. It   
had been an odd day indeed, but Usagi felt much more confident   
about things. Heck, maybe Ami and Makoto had already figured   
things out. With happy thoughts about her friends in mind, she   
returned home. She couldn't wait to email Mamo-chan about all of   
this. 'Well,' she admitted to herself with another blush, 'most   
of it, anyway.' 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven - Wednesday evening  
--------------------   
  
"Hello, may I speak to Aino Minako please?" Kenjo asked, though   
he was relatively certain it was her on the line.  
  
"Speaking," Minako replied, "Is that you, Kenjo-kun?" Her breath   
and heart quickened, but Minako would never let such things show   
in her voice.  
  
"Hai. Am I disturbing you, Minako-san?" Kenjo considered that   
it was a good thing they weren't using some sort of video phone,   
because he'd hate for her to see the stupid grin he had on his   
face at the sound of her voice.  
  
"No, I just finished dinner. Our meeting over at the temple went   
a little long."  
  
"How did it go," Kenjo asked anxiously. "Did your friends think   
we were nuts?"  
  
Minako shifted to the front edge of her chair. "You won't   
believe what Rei-chan told us!" she reported enthusiastically.   
"It seems that she and Ami had a long chat the other day, right   
around the same time you were talking to Makoto at the sports   
center. She had already become all but convinced that _Ami_ has   
a crush on _Makoto_!"  
  
"You're kidding! That's great!" Kenjo chalked off one obstacle   
with delight. "What did Usagi-san have to say?"  
  
'He really does love Mako-chan,' Minako realized. She could hear   
it in his voice, full of pure joy at her news. Rather than   
something that made her jealous, she found it to be a very   
endearing trait.   
  
"Well, Usagi claimed that she'd had her own suspicions all along.   
We talked it about it for quite awhile, when we weren't   
sidetracked, and now we're all convinced." Minako sighed. At   
the same time it was both hard to believe and the most natural   
thing in the world that her dear friends Ami and Makoto should be   
in love.   
  
"You guys got sidetracked?" Kenjo couldn't resist asking. Of   
course, he knew, or suspected (or was that hoped?) that his date   
with Minako might have been on their discussion agenda, but he   
couldn't come right out and ask.   
  
He might as well have been translucent, given how easily Minako   
saw through him. "Oh, we didn't just discuss Ami and Makoto,   
Kenjo-kun," she said smugly.   
  
Kenjo really wished that Makoto could have been there, since he   
knew without a doubt that she'd have given him a full report. He   
reminded himself sharply that her not being there was sort of the   
entire point. "Anything you'd care to share?" he asked, not   
really expecting to get anything out her.  
  
"Well, I had to tell my friends how our date went, didn't I?"   
Minako continued. "Of course, Usagi had her own opinions, since   
she'd been spying on us!"  
  
Kenjo laughed warmly. "I think it's nice that you guys care about   
each other so much. Anyway, I hope the reviews were positive."  
  
"Maybe, but I would never tell," Minako teased.  
  
"So, did they have any ideas on what we might do to help the two   
of them?" Kenjo asked eagerly, getting back to the topic at hand.  
  
"Well, Usagi is going to talk to Haruka-san and Michiru-san. We   
figured they might have some insight," Minako reported. "Rei   
seemed to think that we might have some trouble from Ami's old   
'boyfriend' Urawa Ryu. She was going to check up on him."  
  
"Urawa? Mako-chan mentioned him at one point. She seemed a   
little jealous of him," Kenjo recalled.  
  
"He wishes!" Minako snorted. "He keeps bugging the poor thing, no   
matter how many times she tries to tell him she only wants to be   
friends. Rei can be pretty determined, so she'll get to the   
bottom of things with him."  
  
Kenjo frowned. He knew guys that didn't like to take "No" for an   
answer and had little use for any of them. Some were just   
deluded or stupid, others were actually dangerous. He had little   
doubt that Sailor Mercury could take care of herself, but he   
worried nonetheless. With a smile, he realized that now that he   
suspected Mizuno Ami returned his Mako-chan's love, he felt   
almost as protective and worried about her as he did about Makoto   
herself. "And what was your assignment, Minako-san?" he   
inquired.   
  
"I was supposed to call you and fill you in. We figured you'd be   
dying of curiosity. You beat me to it, it seems," she added,   
very content with the fact that he'd called her first.  
  
"Not dying," Kenjo chuckled, "but close."  
  
"So, is that the only reason you called me, to find out what   
happened?" Minako asked in a flirty tone, fairly confident in the   
answer.  
  
"No, not really," Kenjo started, gathering himself together, "I   
was wondering, well, if you don't have any plans, maybe you'd   
like to get together Friday night?"  
  
Minako smiled, feeling the same rush of victory she normally got   
only after defeating a tough enemy. "Sure, I think my schedule   
is clear. What did you have in mind?" She felt a little   
embarrassed when she considered what _she_ had in mind, the   
fulfillment of a promise she'd made to herself after their date.   
  
"Mako-chan tells me that you enjoy karaoke, so I thought maybe   
dinner, then we could hit a club I know," he suggested.  
  
"Ooooo, I love karaoke," she squealed. "Sounds perfect. What   
time?"  
  
"I think I can find my way back to your place," Kenjo answered.   
"How about I pick you up at six?"  
  
"That works for me, Kenjo-kun," Minako agreed. "Well, I'd better   
get going. I need to get some school work done."   
  
"Ok, I guess I should do some readings, too," Kenjo sighed. "See   
you on Friday, Minako-san!"  
  
"Good night," she said, hanging up the phone. Just then, Artemis   
wandered into the room with her.   
  
"Mina-chan, why are you hugging your pillow like that, and why   
are you so happy?" her cat asked.  
  
Minako scooped the white ball of fur up in her arms and swung him   
happily through the air. "I've got a date for Friday night!"  
  
"Whoa! Put me down! You always have a date on Friday night!"   
Artemis exclaimed.  
  
"Not second dates!" Minako pointed out, setting Artemis down at   
the foot of her bed. Still beaming, she headed out to the other   
room to try to get some work done.   
  
'Second date?!" Artemis thought, trying and failing to recall the   
last time Minako had gone on more than one date with the same   
boy. 'Sounds serious. Well, good for her,' he decided before   
drifting off to sleep.   
  
------------------  
  
Urawa Ryu found a niche between two streetlights, about a block   
and a half from his quarry. It is possible that, if he could   
have seen himself, he might have paused, reconsidered, realized   
that he wasn't acting rationally any more, but he avoided such   
introspection. Over the years, normal admiration and interest   
had grown into friendship, but then slowly mutated into intense   
desire, a yearning forged in the fires of frustration only to   
emerge as obsession. He knew as surely as he knew his own name   
that Mizuno Ami was his, by right. He knew that he could make   
her understand this. So far, he'd tried to reason with her, to   
convince her, to make her see. As he watched her enter Kino   
Makoto's apartment building, a bouquet of pink roses in her arms,   
he realized that he needed to take more drastic measures.  
  
With a determined scowl, Ryu turned and headed back the way he   
came. So wrapped up in his thoughts was he, that he didn't even   
notice the beautiful, raven-haired young woman sitting alone at   
the bus stop as he walked past.   
  
--------------------  
  
Rei sat in the cafe, sipping a cup of cocoa, waiting. It had   
been almost an hour since her quarry had entered Tokyo General.   
'Maybe he's committing himself to the Psych Ward,' she hoped   
against hope. 'What is he doing in a hospital at this time of   
night?'  
  
---------------------  
  
Ami rang the doorbell, nervously shifting the bundle from one   
hand to the other. Normally, she would have rung once and then   
let herself in with the spare key, but for some reason, that   
didn't seem appropriate tonight.   
  
When she'd left her last class, she hadn't planned on bringing   
flowers, but when she saw the pink roses at that little stand,   
she couldn't resist. Ami yawned, still tired from her lack of   
sleep. After last night's dinner, and the realizations that had   
accompanied it, she had had a hard time getting to sleep. In her   
classes, she'd found herself dozing off more than once. Worse   
still, when she wasn't fading into sleep, she found herself   
doodling little hearts in the margins of her notebooks.   
  
For her part, Makoto had found herself planning tonight's dinner   
throughout her entire day. Normally, she'd whip something up   
from whatever was lying around when it was just she and Ami.   
After all, she generally thought, that's just...normal. Sometime   
between that farewell kiss on the cheek and her return from   
classes, however, Makoto had come to realize that dinners with   
Ami were anything other than routine. Indeed, they were some of   
the most special occasions of her life. Tonight, she planned to   
let Ami know just how special she was to her. She had just lit   
the last candle when the doorbell had rung the first time. The   
second ring had been spent checking her hair in the mirror that   
hung in her foyer. Makoto was somehow not surprised that Ami   
hadn't let herself in. It was such a common thing for the two of   
them to be on the same wavelength, that it hadn't even occurred   
to Makoto that Ami might not realize how special tonight was   
going to be.   
  
On the third ring, the door opened. "Oh, they're beautiful! Let   
me get a vase," Makoto delightedly exclaimed, taking the bouquet   
that Ami had proffered to her upon entering. She blushed, and   
smiled deeply, as she fussed in a cabinet near the kitchen for a   
suitable container. While she'd never doubted that Ami would be   
thinking along the same lines she was, it was still nice to get   
confirmation of the fact. Makoto's heart raced as she pulled   
down a crystal vase that had been her parents' and arranged the   
roses therein.   
  
Ami gazed around the apartment. Makoto had dimmed the lights and   
lit what seemed like a hundred candles. As usual, the smell of   
food wafted from the kitchen and Ami was overcome with a strong   
sense of "home." Taking it all in, Ami's gaze finally came to   
rest on Makoto herself. No sweats or t-shirt tonight. Instead,   
Makoto wore a soft, green sweater with a matching long skirt.   
Her hair was done up in her typical ponytail, but was held in   
place with a delicate gold hair clip. As she watched her friend   
delicately position the roses, Ami felt a rush of warmth, and not   
to her face as usual. She allowed herself to do something   
consciously that usually she did without even knowing it; she   
examined this beautiful young woman before her carefully,   
thoroughly. Makoto's eyes, focused so intently on her task,   
shone with an inner light, crackling with energy. Ami noted the   
slightly paler tone to her skin along the nape of her neck, where   
her hair was pulled back. Letting her gaze trail down the line   
of Makoto's neck and past her broad shoulders, she remembered   
something said in jest long ago. 'You indeed should have been   
Snow White in that play, Mako-chan,' she admitted, noting the way   
Mako's sweater clung to her. Her eyes lingered in that area for   
some time, and that comfortable warmth inside her flared up   
considerably. Almost with regret, her eyes dropped down, over   
the full curves of her friend's hips and to her legs. 'They just   
go on forever,' Ami realized with a sigh. She had just   
suppressed a brief, irrational wish that her friend might drop   
something on the floor behind her when Makoto finished with the   
flowers and met her gaze. Immediately, Ami dropped her eyes to   
the floor and cursed her complexion, feeling the heat on her   
cheeks now, not just in those other areas.  
  
'She's blushing,' Makoto thought as she looked up. 'She is so   
adorable when she does that.' "You ok, Ami-chan?" she asked with   
a smile, "you look a bit flushed. Is it too cold in here?"  
  
Ami's eyes widened in horror as she swiftly checked her blouse.   
Realizing what she was doing, and why, she blushed even more,   
finding it hard to catch her breath. She was a trained warrior,   
however, and recovered quickly. "No, everything is fine, Mako-  
chan. Everything is perfect. Is anyone else coming tonight?   
You've gone to so much trouble."  
  
Makoto could feel sweat forming on her brow. Had Ami just done   
what it looked like she'd done, when Makoto had asked if she was   
cold? Mako swallowed quickly, trying, without much success, not   
to stare at those soft, gentle curves in her friend's white   
blouse. "No, it's just you and I tonight," she replied to Ami's   
question, regaining her focus. She stepped closer and added, "I   
hope that's Ok. I just thought that, well..."  
  
Ami's smile made Mako's heart leap in her chest. "I think it's a   
wonderful idea, Mako-chan. Is there anything I can do to help?"   
She also moved forward, stopping only a foot or so away from her   
closest friend. For a moment, they paused there in the living   
room, well within arm's reach of each other. Ami sighed as she   
gazed deeply into Makoto's eyes, feeling as if she was surrounded   
in a warm blanket. Makoto held her breath, her fingers   
trembling, aching to be lost in soft, blue hair. Each of them   
slowly leaned forward...  
  
"BUZZZZZZZZZZZ"   
  
The sound of the oven timer going off startled both them out of   
their reverie. Makoto gulped in air and dropped her hands to her   
sides. Ami shivered and took a deep breath, a wry smile on her   
face. "I'd better get that, or else we'll be having blackened   
tuna, and I didn't plan on cajun tonight," Makoto joked.   
  
Ami giggled and nodded, "Go ahead, Mako-chan, I'll put on some   
music, if that's all right." Makoto assured her that that would   
be fine and headed off the kitchen. Ami smiled wistfully. There   
was no doubt in her mind at all now and the thought of what the   
rest of this evening was sure to bring made her as happy as   
anything she could remember. The accursed oven timer could steal   
one moment from them, but nothing could stop fate. Ami was   
certain of that.   
  
Moving over to Makoto's stereo, she glanced through her CD   
collection, looking for something that would set the right mood,   
something romantic, but not too distracting. She was amused to   
find a Bonnie Raitt CD currently in the disc player. She thought   
she could guess which song Makoto might have been listening to   
earlier. 'Oh, we'll give them something to talk about, all   
right,' Ami thought wickedly. She carefully replaced that disc   
in its case and pulled out a different one, something Minako had   
introduced them all to, an English band called Dire Straits.   
Placing the disc of the same name in the player, she started it,   
adjusting the volume so that it would not override conversation,   
but would linger at an almost subconscious level.  
  
Before she turned back to the table, Ami caught a flash of green   
reflected in the glass door to the cabinet. Shifting a little   
bit, to get a better reflection, Ami soon could make out Makoto,   
holding a dish, standing in the doorway of the kitchen. The tall   
young woman had stopped and was apparently staring at her. With   
a very pleased smile, Ami realized that the tables had turned so   
to speak, but, unlike Makoto earlier, she knew she was being   
watched. Very deliberately, Ami reached up to a disc on a high   
shelf, stretching onto her toes. She could feel the muscles in   
her calves and thighs go taut as she held that pose for just a   
second or two longer than necessary. While she might not be as   
qualified to play Snow White as Makoto, Ami knew that her legs   
were one of her best features. 'This is just too much fun,' she   
realized. She'd never known how enjoyable being a tease could   
be. Suddenly, Minako made a lot more sense to Ami.   
  
Makoto's legs were trembling. 'Oh my,' she thought as she   
watched Ami reach up to grab a disc. All she could see was white   
hose stretching up and disappearing under a short blue skirt.   
She could imagine all too vividly how it would feel to lay her   
hand on one of Ami's delicate ankles and run it all the way up   
to... 'I'd better put this down,' she decided, remembering the   
plate in her hands, 'because if she drops that disc, it's all   
over.' At that exact moment, as if her thought had molded   
reality to its liking, Ami's hand slipped and the disc she had   
been reaching for fell to the ground. Makoto could have sworn   
that Ami darted a flirty glance her way as she bent over at the   
waist to retrieve it, her skirt riding higher up the back of her   
thighs. 'No way,' Makoto thought, 'not my Ami-chan!' Proud of   
the fact that dinner had survived this crisis, Makoto gulped and   
quickly set the plate down on the table.   
  
Ami suppressed a laugh as she watched Makoto rush over to drop   
the plate on the table. Somehow, she felt just as she had when   
she'd learned her Shine Aqua Illusion attack. With this weapon   
in her arsenal, there was no way this particular target could   
ever resist her. Feeling as happy and content with herself as   
she ever had, Ami moved over to the table and sat down. "It looks   
lovely, Mako-chan."  
  
"Thanks," Makoto mumbled. "Just a couple more things and we'll be   
ready to go." As she moved back into the kitchen, she began to   
reconsider things. Maybe Ami wasn't so innocent and pure after   
all. Makoto did know her friend very well, very well indeed, and   
that expression on her face had _not_ been one of innocence and   
purity. 'Well, two can play at this game.' Before grabbing the   
last dish, she reached up and unbuttoned two buttons on her   
sweater.   
  
"Here, let me put this on your plate," Makoto said, returning   
from the kitchen with a bowl of rice. Ami thanked her and leaned   
back in her seat to allow Makoto access to her plate. Her self-  
satisfied serenity took quite a shock, however, when Makoto   
leaned forward to ladle out the rice. The way she was bent over   
the table, Ami could see right down her sweater! 'I shouldn't be   
surprised that that's green, too,' Ami considered, though the   
majority of her attention was certainly not focused on Makoto's   
undergarments. After an eternity, Makoto straightened up and   
moved to her own place. 'Did she just wink at me?' Ami tried to   
determine where her imagination ended and reality began. 'Hmmm,   
it would seem that being teased is almost as much fun as doing   
the teasing!'  
  
For the next thirty minutes or so, the two young women ate their   
meal, talking mostly about the same kinds of things they usually   
did: daily events, things learned in classes, speculation about   
their friends (mostly Minako), etc. Throughout the meal,   
however, a subtle tension began to grow. Each ate slowly at   
times, savoring the growing anticipation, then quickly at other   
times, impatient to get through it and onto other things. At no   
other meal had so many dishes been passed back and forth, fingers   
lingering longer and longer during the transfer of plates and   
such. The comfortable silences that characterized their time   
together remained, but contained many more contented sighs and   
intense gazes. Finally, it was time. Makoto rose to clear the   
table. Once again, normally, Ami would have helped her, but   
today they both knew that that wasn't necessary. Instead, Ami   
went to the stereo once again, changing discs to something a   
little more modern and upbeat.   
  
Makoto dropped off the dishes in the sink, not even bothering to   
soak them, and returned to the living room to find Ami waiting   
for her. She'd moved the coffee table to one side, clearing a   
space in the center of her floor. Makoto paused, fairly certain   
what was coming. As Ami moved slowly across the floor to her,   
she knew she was right. Deja vu struck briefly, reminding her of   
that night in the school gym, long ago.   
  
"Would you care to dance?" Ami asked with an encouraging smile.   
  
"I would love to," Makoto answered, shyly bowing her head. So   
often, because of her height or her mode of dress, people assumed   
she was some sort of tomboy. Inside herself, though, Makoto   
rarely if ever felt that way. Now, just as she had long ago, Ami   
made Makoto feel just like she always wanted to feel, like a   
princess in a fairy tale, about to be swept off her feet by her   
prince. As Ami's hands took her and led her into the dance,   
Makoto sighed contentedly and placed herself literally and   
figuratively into Ami's care.   
  
The song she had chosen started out with a brisk tempo, so Ami   
led Makoto through an upbeat dance that soon had them both   
laughing and swooning through spins and dips. As she'd planned,   
though, the song soon slowed down and Ami drew Makoto in close.   
As Mako laid her head down on top of Ami's, resting on her   
shoulder, Ami knew that this was exactly where she wanted to be,   
always. Makoto gently shifted her head back and forth, rubbing   
her cheek against Ami's skin. Ami responded in kind and soon   
they both lifted their heads back to look into each other's eyes.   
Makoto closed hers and shifted her cheek to Ami's other shoulder.   
Soon, though, they went through the same dance, cheeks caressing   
each other and then, heads drawn back, eyes meeting. Just as   
Makoto's eyes closed and Ami was leaning forward...  
  
"BUZZZZZZZZZZZZ"  
  
Ami jumped, dropping her hands from a very confused Makoto.   
Grabbing at her side, she pulled her beeper out of a pocket   
hidden in her skirt. Makoto looked at her, disoriented and   
disappointed, as Ami stared at the number on the beeper. "What   
is it, Ami-chan? Is everything all right?" Makoto whispered   
hoarsely.  
  
"No, I mean yes, I mean...I have to go, Mako-chan," Ami   
exclaimed, almost in tears. So close... but there was no way she   
could ignore this particular message.  
  
"Don't!" Makoto pleaded, before remembering herself. "I mean, do   
you have to? What is it?"  
  
"It's my mom," Ami replied in a disconsolate tone, even as she   
hurried over to the foyer to put on her shoes. "She had me   
memorize a series of codes, so she can use the beeper for a   
variety of messages. This one means I have to go home   
immediately."   
  
Makoto began to ask if she couldn't wait just a little bit, but   
realized that that would be unfair. Whatever had been about to   
happen, that moment was now lost and if she asked Ami to stay, it   
would only make her more unhappy. Given her state of agitation,   
ignoring Mom was clearly not an option for Ami.   
  
"I'll call you! I promise!" Ami shouted as she headed out the   
door. "I'm sorry, Mako-chan, more than I can say!"  
  
'Me too,' Makoto thought. 'Me too.' As Ami vanished down the   
hallway, she leaned over and blew out the nearest candle. 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 ? Thursday   
--------------  
  
The alarm would have gone off at 6:00, but Ami woke up ten   
minutes early and simply shut it off. Fortunately, she had no   
classes today, and thus all the more time to prepare for the   
afternoon. When Ami had arrived home last night, her mother had   
been nowhere to be found. Instead, she'd found a note in the   
usual place. It said simply "Quality Time, tomorrow, noon."   
  
With a yawn, Ami rose from her bed and began her morning rituals.   
While she went through some stretching routines, she began to   
prepare herself for the day ahead. There would be more than   
enough time to gather her things for 'Quality Time.' Hopefully,   
there would be time to call Makoto as well, to apologize for   
running off like she had. Ami's eyes closed and she sighed,   
recalling those last blissful feelings before her beeper had gone   
off and ruined the moment. Though she was disappointed at the   
disruption, Ami knew that it was only a matter of time now. She   
and Mako knew each other too well; there was no doubt about what   
they'd both intended last night, nor about how they both felt.   
  
Idle fantasies about the events of last night would not get her   
ready for today, however, so Ami soon left them behind. After a   
quick shower and breakfast sandwich, she headed into her   
'office.' The small room had been advertised as a third bedroom   
by the condo association, but Ami couldn't imagine using it as   
such. Between the bookshelves and the computer desk, there was   
barely room to turn around in there. The various plaques and   
awards that Ami had won over the years were displayed in the   
sitting room, of course, so that visitors could admire Dr.   
Mizuno's parenting skill.   
  
Ami sat down at her computer and logged onto the university's   
registrar system. She ran some requests and soon the printer   
hummed with activity as her up-to-the-minute grades and progress   
reports spewed out of it. In a file cabinet, Ami found the   
portfolio she had prepared for her last session of 'Quality Time'   
and she carefully reviewed the various "To-Do" and "Goal" items   
in the Post-QT Review there. Gathering up the printouts and   
arranging them in the manner her mother preferred, Ami tried to   
anticipate what sorts of questions she might expect. The only   
area where her performance had been marked less than "Acceptable"   
had been "Academic Initiative." That checkbox glared yellow,   
signifying "Barely Adequate," mostly because Ami had only taken   
on five full courses this past semester. Of course, she could   
have handled the sixth that her mother advised, but that would   
have meant losing her afternoons with the other sailor soldiers,   
and her evenings with Makoto.   
  
Four hours later, Ami printed out the final draft of her essay on   
what she had been up to since the last QT session. Placing it   
into her portfolio with the other information, she noticed that   
she still had a little over an hour to spare. With an   
uncharacteristic nervousness, she picked up the phone and dialed   
up Makoto. Though she talked to Mako just about every day, for   
some reason today she found herself sweating and shaking as she   
listened to the ringing. 'Oh please be home, Mako-chan,' she   
prayed, anxious to escape into her friend's voice, if only for a   
little while. On the sixth ring, however, Ami heard the   
characteristic sound of a machine picking up. Unsure of what   
exactly to say, especially after last night, Ami just hung up   
rather than leave some sort of incoherent message. Sighing   
heavily, she headed out into the sitting room to make sure   
everything was in order. 'Tonight, Mako-chan,' she promised   
herself, 'I will let you make it all better.'  
  
----------------  
  
Makoto did not hear the phone ring as she entered the elevator in   
her apartment building. She'd barely had time to change outfits   
after classes this morning for her lunch date with Minako. True,   
Minako wouldn't care what she wore, but those horrid cooking   
school uniforms were best not worn in public. Unfortunately, she   
hadn't learned much today, since most of her consciousness still   
lingered in the events of last evening. Makoto had been a little   
disappointed not to find a message from Ami when she'd gotten   
back, but was not too surprised. She wasn't sure she would have   
been able to leave a message either, given what had happened, and   
especially what had almost happened last night.   
  
'She was going to kiss me,' Makoto exulted for the umpteenth time   
that day. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down. Minako   
was very perceptive about matters of the heart and Makoto didn't   
want to get ahead of herself just yet. While she was certain she   
knew what would have happened, the truth was that nothing _had_   
happened as of yet. No need to get Mina all excited about events   
that hadn't occurred. 'Maybe by tomorrow, there won't be any   
doubt whatsoever,' Makoto hoped.  
  
Trying to think of anything other than Ami (difficult!), Makoto   
reviewed what little she had gotten out of Kenjo concerning his   
date with her friend. Normally, he would have rehashed every   
moment with her in an attempt to deconstruct every nuance.   
Makoto hadn't expected that he would be very revealing about his   
date with Minako, given that Minako was also a close friend.   
She felt confident that if things had not gone well, she would   
have been able to tell, even if he wasn't willing to admit it.   
After their brief phone conversation, though, she was certain   
that it had not been a disaster. Hopefully, Minako would be a   
bit more forthcoming.  
  
After a pleasant walk, Makoto arrived at the little restaurant   
she had chosen. Part of her training as a chef required her to   
visit as many different places as she could and this one was new   
to her.   
  
"Mako-chan!" Minako called, arriving only a few minutes later.   
"Were you waiting long?"  
  
"Just got here," Makoto informed her. Stepping inside, they   
found themselves seated at a small, out-of-the-way table. Makoto   
made a mental note to include lots of such private booths and   
other tucked-away spots in her own restaurant some day. After   
perusing the menu and ordering, and the standard pleasantries,   
they moved onto the main event.  
  
"Ok, you've resisted long enough, Mako-chan," Minako noted. "I'm   
very proud, but I know you're dying to know what I thought of   
Kenjo-kun."  
  
Makoto smiled at the informality. "Yeah, just a little. First   
though, you ought to know that I'll be getting together with him   
on Saturday and he's going to pester me, so if there's anything   
you don't want passed along to him, you'd better let me know."  
  
Minako laughed, "How about the things I _do_ want you to pass   
along? And, is this a two-way street? Do I get a full report,   
too?" She batted her eyelashes at Makoto enticingly.  
  
"Save your wiles for Kenjo," Makoto replied with a skeptical   
smirk. "They won't work on me."  
  
"Oh, that's right," Minako recalled, "you don't like blondes. I   
could always dye my hair darker, maybe cut it short...."  
  
Makoto coughed suddenly, just barely avoiding spraying her water   
all over the table. Noting the reaction, Minako grinned. She   
almost felt sorry for her two friends, remembering how much they   
all teased each other normally about their respective love lives.   
How much worse would it be when two of them were in love with   
each other!  
  
"In any case," Minako continued, not wanting to upset Makoto,   
"the date went very well. I hope you didn't put Usagi up to   
spying on us, though."  
  
Makoto grimaced, "I told her not to do that! I guess that means   
she didn't listen?"  
  
Minako giggled, "It's all right, no harm done. I'll get her back,   
when 'Mamo-chan' gets back to town. Kenjo is a very good guy; he   
was a perfect gentleman."  
  
"Too much so, sometimes," Makoto snorted. "I can't recall how   
many times he probably could have won a girl over if he'd just   
gotten up the nerve to make the first move. I think he gets   
overly worried about coming on too strong sometimes."  
  
Minako recalled how polite Kenjo had been when he'd walked her   
home. Though she'd decided in the restaurant to 'punish' him by   
withholding any sort of goodnight kiss, she would certainly not   
have objected to an embrace of some sort. A handshake had been   
it, though.   
  
"So, I guess it'll be up to me to get the ball rolling," Minako   
concluded.  
  
"Oh really?" Makoto exclaimed, eyebrows rising in an accusatory   
fashion. "So, you've already decided to see him again?"  
  
This time, it was Minako's turn to blush and stammer. "Well,   
actually, we spoke last night and, well, we're going out again   
tomorrow evening."  
  
Makoto reached over and squeezed Minako's hand. "That's great,   
Mina-chan! I'm so happy that you two hit it off!"  
  
Minako nodded happily. Just then their food arrived and   
conversation was relegated to a back burner. As they finished   
up, Minako decided to see if she couldn't get some dirt herself.   
"So, how was dinner with Ami last night?"  
  
A sudden rush of color to Makoto's face made Minako smile.   
Apparently, something was in the air.  
  
"It was fine, until Ami had to leave suddenly. Her mom wanted her   
home for some reason," Makoto noted with obvious disappointment.  
  
"Is everything all right?" Minako asked. It was very rare that   
Ami's mom made any sort of demands on her time.  
  
"I don't know," Makoto lamented, "I haven't heard from her since.   
She promised she'd call, but...."  
  
"I'm sure she would have called if anything was wrong," Minako   
reminded her. "Ami is very good about things like that, and I   
know she wouldn't want you to worry."  
  
"I know," Makoto admitted grudgingly. "It's just that...well, we   
were having such a nice evening."   
  
Minako sighed. Maybe the two of them didn't need any help after   
all. It was obvious that something had gone on last night,   
though Minako was certain, based on Makoto's reactions, that no   
admissions or revelations had been made. Usagi had reported via   
email that morning that Haruka advised them all to leave things   
be. Oddly, that had been Minako's first instinct as well. With   
a sudden flash of foreboding, she realized that they hadn't heard   
from Rei yet about what she might have accomplished last night.   
  
"Uh oh!" Makoto said, standing quickly. "I'm going to be late for   
my next class. I probably shouldn't have changed, but I hate   
wearing those outfits out in broad daylight. I need to get home   
and change back into school clothes."  
  
"That's fine, Mako-chan," Minako reassured her. "I'll get the   
bill and you can pick up the tab next time. You go on, and,   
don't worry, I promise to let you know Saturday how things go   
tomorrow night."  
  
"If I get anything good out of Kenjo on Saturday morning, I'll   
let you know," Makoto promised. "Don't wear him out too much   
tomorrow night! I want him to be at his best on Saturday   
morning." In response to Minako's arched brow, she added   
hastily, "We're supposed to have a game of basketball!" With   
that, she dashed off.   
  
Minako leisurely finished up her coffee and took care of the   
check. It seemed that things were moving along between Ami and   
Makoto without any assistance from her or her friends, but Ami's   
departure last night troubled her. She decided a stop by the   
Hikawa Shrine might be in order.  
  
----------------  
  
Quality Time proceeded as normal, all the way up to the very end.   
  
Ami's mother had returned home at noon, almost precisely,   
bringing with her some Chinese takeout procured from a small   
place next to the hospital where she worked. As they ate, Dr.   
Mizuno filled Ami in on some of her more interesting cases, along   
with the requisite Tokyo General gossip. They'd discussed   
various political issues and other general topics. The lunch   
portion of Quality Time was always the most pleasant.   
  
After lunch, they had adjourned to the sitting room, where Ami   
presented her mother with the folder of information she'd   
prepared. As she reviewed the documents, Dr. Mizuno inquired   
about the topics Ami was studying, with particular emphasis on   
things from the pre-med classes. As always, Ami's grades were   
exemplary and there was little for Dr. Mizuno to quibble over.   
In the area of "Academic Initiative", Dr. Mizuno informed Ami   
that they would be putting off any discussion until the time came   
to select classes for the next semester. Ami was quite relieved   
to find out that that particular battle had been postponed.   
  
Finally, by 2 or so, Dr. Mizuno set aside the folder. Ami would,   
of course, prepare the Post-QT Review and have it for her   
signature sometime within the next 48 hours. Removing her   
reading glasses, Dr. Mizuno relaxed back into the sofa,   
considering her daughter. Truly, she was quite proud of Ami.   
She had always set the bar very high for Ami, but mainly because   
she knew what her daughter was capable of accomplishing. Aside   
from her own solitary bout of youthful indiscretion, (getting   
involved with an artist of all things!) Dr. Mizuno had hewn to a   
rigid path all of her life. Even that one incident had blessed   
her, though it was not one she would ever repeat. Ami had done   
so very well for so long, that it was all too easy to forget that   
she was a young woman, one approaching the same age that Dr.   
Mizuno herself had been when she'd had that fling.   
  
"Ami," she began, "you know that, as your mother, I am your very   
best friend and you can tell me anything."  
  
"Yes, mother, of course," Ami replied, as if by rote.  
  
"Is there anything you'd care to share with me?"  
  
"No, mother, nothing that we haven't covered already," Ami   
answered, feeling suddenly uncertain. This was not going   
according to script.  
  
"I wonder, do you ever see that old boyfriend of yours? Urawa?"   
Dr. Mizuno asked, too casually.  
  
Ami's heart almost stopped. It was hard to determine which was   
more bizarre: her mother asking about her love life (her too?!);   
her mother mentioning Ryu; or her mother's apparent assumption   
that Ryu was an 'old boyfriend.'   
  
"I saw him recently, mother, but he and I were never..."  
  
"He seems a fine, upstanding young man," Dr. Mizuno interrupted.   
"Of course, you're much too young to get seriously involved with   
anyone, but once you are through with medical school, he is just   
the sort of boy with whom it would be good for you to associate."  
  
"I'm not sure I understand what you are asking me, mother," Ami   
tentatively admitted.   
  
Sitting up straight, Dr. Mizuno took a small card out of her   
jacket. Handing it to Ami, she said plainly, "You have an   
appointment with Dr. Kaneda on Saturday afternoon. I had to pull   
some strings to get you in on such short notice."   
  
"But mother, I just had a physical last month," Ami reminded her.  
  
"Dr. Kaneda is a psychiatrist, Ami. He specializes in the sorts   
of disorders that affect young people," Dr. Mizuno explained.  
  
"A psychiatrist?" Ami blurted out in disbelief.  
  
"Yes. I have reason to believe that you've been dabbling with   
some things that are clearly not healthy, nor normal. You have a   
bright future ahead of you and I will not see it sabotaged by the   
frivolities of youth." Dr. Mizuno stood up and moved to the front   
door. "Now, I have to get back to work. I think we will have   
some more Quality Time on Saturday evening."  
  
Still struggling with this bombshell, Ami meekly pointed out,   
"But, I usually have dinner with Makoto on Saturday evenings..."  
  
"Yes, well, not this Saturday. This issue with Kino Makoto will   
be cleared up for you by Dr. Kaneda. You should be glad that   
your friends cared enough about you to make sure that you got the   
help you need, especially before things went too far. I will see   
you on Saturday." And with that, Dr. Mizuno departed.  
  
Ami sat, shell-shocked, staring at the appointment card in her   
hand. Why did her mother want her to see a psychiatrist? What   
did it have to do with Mako-chan? Suddenly, horrifyingly, things   
crystalized in her mind. Her mother thought that she... and   
Mako-chan... 'But, how did she know?' Ami wondered, before   
recalling that, technically, nothing had happened yet. Laying   
down on the couch, she remembered what her mother had said before   
leaving, and spent the remainder of the day trying to figure out   
which 'friend' had spoken with her. Calling Makoto was soon the   
furthest thing from her mind. 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Thursday evening  
-----------------  
  
*I am no Superman  
*I have no answers for you  
*I am no hero, that's for sure  
*But I do know one thing for sure  
*Is where you are, is where I belong  
*I do know, where you go is where I want to be  
  
The words from the radio washed over Makoto as she sat. A flash   
of lightning lit the skyline outside of her window and erased her   
reflection. Other than the green and red lights from the stereo,   
nothing illuminated the room. Behind her, the phone waited   
quietly.  
  
Thinking brought no solutions; dwelling brought only pain.   
Staring at the rain falling on the window served as a reasonable   
facsimile for the oblivion that would eliminate worry, or so she   
hoped. She knew, though, deep down, that worry resided in the   
heart, not the head, and that no matter how hard you tried, you   
couldn't shut down your heart. Not for long anyway.   
  
Such a difference a day could make. One step taken more quickly,   
one moment seized more forcefully, one less distraction or   
pointless delay...and all would have been different. Instead,   
she'd gone from the edge of the precipice to the depths of the   
abyss, not in a single step, but with a single step never taken.   
  
If she called, she'd never know if the call would have come on   
its own. If she called, it would mean a lack of trust, of faith,   
in a promise made. If she called, vague fears and uncertainty   
might be given form and made real. And so, the phone waited.  
  
Uneaten cookies lay on plates as pristine and clean as the floor   
below. Tables and shelves sparkled. Cooking, cleaning, the   
normal paths of escape, now exposed as frauds, unable to provide   
solace in the hour of utmost need. The refuge of extreme   
femininity was as barren and cold as the rain-swept streets below.  
  
*Are you looking for answers  
*to questions under the stars?  
*If along the way, you are growing weary,  
*you can rest with me until a brighter day  
*It's okay  
  
How long had she known, really known, before she felt soft lips   
on her cheek, before she felt the connection in a glance, a   
smile? Days? Months? Years?   
  
Wind blowing through her hair, laden with asphalt and a soft   
perfume that smelled of the ocean, that wind and a soft scarf,   
the images almost overwhelmed her. Suspicions, fears, excitement,   
understanding, all leaping into existence in the back seat of a   
red convertible and at the side of a riverbank. Not a crush, just   
an understanding, a revelation, the first steps on the path to   
self-awareness. Years then since the creation of possibilities,   
the birth of potential.   
  
More images: soft hands holding a black cat, soft color washing   
over alabaster skin; a narrow alleyway, adrenaline pumping, and a   
sudden flash of white on white, lines and curves as perfect as   
the harmony of the spheres; a large room flashing with colors,   
enveloped with music, hands extending forward erasing loneliness   
and uncertainty. Like sand filling an hourglass, moments stacked   
against one another...exams prepared for, meals shared, battles   
fought. Like the tide erasing the shoreline, wearing away at   
doubts and fears slowly over the years. Beyond friendship,   
beyond loyalty, beyond any conception of the possibilities of   
love to love itself in all of its radiant glory. The feel of it   
swept through Makoto, making her shiver and draw her blanket more   
closely around her shoulders: the precipice which she had just   
gotten a glimpse of the night before.   
  
The precipice presupposed the abyss, however. Still it waited,   
ever silent.   
  
Did loving a woman mean she was less of a woman herself? Did a   
dream of a life without a man mean the end of the dream of being a   
bride, a wife, a mother? What did dreams mean anyway? What else   
were they, except the wish to love, and be loved in return.   
  
*Tell me where are you going?  
*Where do you go?  
*Where?  
*Let's go.  
  
If she didn't call, she'd never know. If she didn't call, she   
could be denying the one she loved what she might need the very   
most. If she didn't call, she was expressing a doubt that she   
did not have. She loved, and she was loved in return. There was   
nothing else.   
  
Turning, Makoto reached for the receiver. Before she could lift   
it, the phone rang.  
  
----------------  
  
The rain fell steadily, pinging off of the roof of the shrine with   
a comfortable rhythm. Rei enjoyed rainy evenings, if only   
because things were generally much quieter on such nights and it   
gave her time to herself. The last of her chores was long   
complete as she sat on a soft, red cushion sipping tea and   
occasionally jotting lyrics in a small notebook. It was true that   
on some occasions she envied her friends their experiences in   
college, especially Usagi and Minako who were truly in their   
element in the dorms. However, on a night like this, when they   
were stuck writing papers or studying dry textbooks, she reveled   
in her freedom.   
  
As it so typically did, Fate (or was it Irony?) chose that exact   
moment to chastise her for her arrogance. Rei heard the sound of   
the main door to the shrine opening slowly. Soft footsteps echoed   
as she set down her cup and pen and straightened her hair. Moving   
out into the large hall, she saw a young woman, quite bedraggled,   
kneeling on a pillow. The fires around the edges of the room cast   
long shadows, periodically obliterated by the flashes of lightning   
outside. She was no older than Rei, hair damp but still springing   
with a life and energy completely absent from the rest of her   
bearing. She reminded Rei of someone. Not in the hair, not in   
the dejection, but that subtle arc from waist to hip, the firm   
curve from the small of her back to her thighs, pressed against   
delicate ankles. Just in that, she could have been Usagi's twin.  
  
Shaking the familiar image out of her mind, Rei stepped forward,   
making enough noise to be heard, but not so much as to disturb.   
The woman turned and Rei started in amazement. "Naru-san? Is that   
you?"  
  
"Hai, Rei-san," Naru replied with a smile that almost touched her   
eyes. "I'm surprised you remember me, I don't think I've seen you   
since we did that play together. I didn't know you still worked   
here."  
  
Rei thought back, trying to recall when she'd last seen Usagi's   
friend. "I suppose it has been awhile. I saw you at that love   
contest with Umino, but I don't think we had a chance to talk."   
Unbidden memories of unwanted dances with some conjured jerk came   
to mind.   
  
Naru sighed sadly and nodded. "I remember."   
  
Moving closer, and recalling something Usagi had mentioned in   
passing the other night, Rei knelt down near the damp redhead.   
"Oh, Naru-san, I heard about Umino. I'm so sorry. Is that why   
you're here?"  
  
"She must have told you, huh?" Naru asked.  
  
"Yeah, she did."   
  
Rei wondered suddenly. Naru hadn't said her name. Rei knew all   
too well that she was the only one of their friends to omit the   
"chan" with Usagi. They'd never discussed it, it was just the way   
things were between the two of them. Usagi and Naru had been best   
friends, though, before Usagi had become a sailor soldier. While   
part of her was curious, Rei decided she'd rather not know.   
  
If Naru had similar questions, she did not express them. "I'm not   
really here because of him, though," she replied to Rei's earlier   
question. Rei waited patiently, sensing that she would continue   
when she was ready.   
  
"I haven't really been too upset about that, well since I talked   
to her about it," Naru added after the pause.  
  
Rei smiled, "She's good at cheering people up. It's one of her   
best qualities." So many memories could remind her of that, but   
they all resolved into a cozy glow that suffused her completely.   
  
"Yeah, it is. As opposed to punctuality," Naru joked.  
  
"Or scholastics," Rei added, giggling joyfully.  
  
Naru giggled as well and soon both women were laughing and   
smiling. The laughing soon ended, but that warm comfort now   
seemed to extend and surround both of them. Naru shifted so that   
she was sitting cross-legged, facing Rei. Once again, she paused,   
pondering her words.   
  
This time, Rei decided to take a more active approach to helping.   
"So, if you didn't come here because of him, may I ask what brings   
you out on such a miserable night?" Rei had great control of her   
voice and made it as welcoming and gentle as she could.   
  
"Have you ever loved someone, even though you knew deep down that   
you could never ever be with them, at least not in the way you   
hoped?" Naru asked suddenly.  
  
Lightning flashed, but not outside. Rei rocked back, staggered by   
the question, so simple and so damningly complicated. Memories   
and feelings long buried clamored to rise from their resting   
places, grasping at her with cold, dead hands. How could she   
answer such a question with anything other than the honest truth?  
  
"Yes, I have."  
  
Naru nodded, again smiling with lips only. "What did you do?" she   
asked. Her eyes locked onto Rei's and she seemed to see something   
there. "What do you do?"  
  
'Bury it down. Remind myself that some things can never be. Take   
solace in the love freely offered and ignore the longings for the   
love you can never have. Work and pray and read and write and sing   
and do anything else but think of things that only make you ache   
inside.' Sometimes, though, the truth would not do.   
  
"You cannot control who you love, Naru-san. Nor can you control   
who loves you, or how they love you. All you can do is appreciate   
what you can have and try not to lose yourself in dreams of what   
cannot be."  
  
"Can it be wrong to love someone?" Naru leaned forward intently,   
obviously casting about for something to cling to.   
  
"No, Naru-san, I don't think it can ever be wrong to love   
someone," Rei answered solemnly. Quietly, she added, "She taught   
me that, too."  
  
Again, Naru nodded, apparently satisfied. "I don't really know   
why I came. I was just kind of walking around and I saw the sign   
and it just seemed like the right thing to do."  
  
Rei smiled, "I'm glad you did. It's always nice to see an old   
friend. Even if we didn't go to the same school, I feel as if I   
know you very well."  
  
Naru returned the smile, "Yeah, I feel that way, too. I'm glad I   
came, too. I don't know why, but I feel a little better." She   
shivered. "I guess I should go home and get out of these wet   
clothes."  
  
A breeze must have snuck in because a light shiver went down Rei's   
spine. "I hear you're working at your mom's jewelry store. We   
should try to get together some evening. Maybe the three of us   
can go shopping or something."  
  
"That sounds fun." Naru stood up and headed toward the door,   
trying not to drip too much. "Thanks, for listening and all."  
  
Rei nodded and waved away any notion that thanks were necessary,   
accompanying Naru to the door. As they got there, and Rei held it   
for her, Naru turned away, whispering something that Rei could   
only barely make out. "You know, I used to be jealous of you, but   
I think we've probably got a lot in common."  
  
Before Rei could grasp what she'd heard, let alone respond, Naru   
darted outside, trying without success to dodge the falling rain.   
Rei watched her go, more puzzled than she had been in quite   
awhile.   
  
The bells in a distant clocktower sounded and Rei realized that   
Minako and Usagi would be here soon. Notes were to be compared,   
progress reports given. The warmth that had lingered from before   
fled as she recalled the news she had to impart to her friends   
about that rat, Urawa. Forming ideas and plans on what they could   
do, she went to prepare some tea for her imminent guests.   
  
--------------------  
  
Ami stared at the computer screen. She rationalized the size of   
the columns in her table, added a layer of thickness to the border   
around the outside, shaded the top row and leftmost column. She   
did everything but read what she'd written, everything but think   
about what it had meant. For some people, thoughts entered and   
left their heads at such a dizzying pace that it was impossible to   
keep up. For others, perhaps thoughts never entered in the first   
place; they simply lived by instincts and emotions. Ami, however,   
could not comprehend the concept of an 'empty head.' So much to   
consider, so much to review and analyze, it was only natural that   
she should use state of the art technology to organize herself.   
'This computer is about 15 months past 'state of the art'', she   
thought in yet another brilliant diversionary tactic.   
  
Eventually, however, nothing remained but to get to it. It had   
started with simple text, stream of consciousness writing,   
capturing mostly questions and exclamations. "Why?" "Why today?"   
"Am I crazy?" "What gives her the right?" "Is she right?"  
  
Cathartic as they might be, such ramblings were not very conducive   
to systematic analysis, so Ami changed tactics: lists, bulleted   
and prioritized, summarizing the salient points, the timeline of   
recent events, identifying key issues and questions.   
  
*Studying at i.c.p  
*S.K. arrives, asks about M  
*Awareness of disharmony  
*U.R. arrives, then leaves  
*Visit to Rei, improvement  
*Dinner w/friends, improvement  
*School, test, normal  
*Dinner w/M ... do I?  
*Review of feelings...I think so  
*School, normal, anxious, might she?  
*Dinner w/M ... I do, she does  
*Call from Mother...return  
*QT Prep  
*QT...appointment..Why? Who???????????  
  
With the issues identified, the timeline clarified, and the   
questions posed, Ami had proceeded along the natural lines of   
self-analysis: tables and charts, pros and cons, names and   
speculations. Who knew? Makoto, surely, but that was   
impossible. Rei? Maybe, but why would she tell? Usagi? Usagi   
was very perceptive, very nosy truth be told, but she wouldn't   
either, would she? Minako? There was no way. Who else was there   
who knew her, who might have guessed?  
  
Ami shook her head and decided to drop that line of inquiry for   
the moment. Maybe some distance would bring clarity or   
inspiration. Unfortunately, that left the more difficult issue.   
True, she had given it a cursory examination the other night,   
after she'd left Makoto with a soft kiss. Ami now realized that,   
in her excitement and anticipation, she'd failed to adequately   
consider all sides of the issue at hand. The very fact that she'd   
neglected to consider her mother's reaction amply demonstrated the   
depth of that failure. Failure was not a concept with which Ami   
was either familiar or comfortable.  
  
So, with a deep breath, she scrolled up to the list of factors for   
consideration. The more salient ones stood out for her perusal:   
external reactions (family, friends, society), impact on existing   
relationships (mom, dad, other senshi), potential risks (breakup,   
ostracization, unrequited feelings, condemnation), impact on   
future plans (normal life, social standing, children,   
professional/career), moral/ethical issues. The list went on and   
on. Some items were easily disposed of, others were far more   
sticky.   
  
Ami had reviewed her own philosophies and moral attitudes, honed   
primarily through lessons learned as a sailor soldier. Nothing   
she had seen, nothing she had fought for, nothing she had learned   
about either future or past led her to believe that there was   
anything inherently evil or wrong about loving someone of the same   
gender. True, there was a lingering discomfort with the notion, a   
low murmuring of guilt, but Ami had quickly identified that as the   
residual influence of popular culture and social stereotypes   
absorbed throughout her life. Ami was used to doing what she knew   
was right with little regard to what others thought. How easy   
would it have been for her to study less, to feign stupidity, to   
adopt a more genial persona, in order to make friends in school?   
How much better off was she for having waited to make friends on   
her own terms, friends like Usagi and Rei, Minako and especially   
Makoto?   
  
As the hours wore on, Ami became more and more certain that her   
feelings were not something to be ashamed of, nor something that   
would need to be 'cured.' More troublesome, though, was her   
mother's reaction. Ami had a tremendous amount of respect for her   
mother. True, she could be stern and demanding, but that was only   
because she wanted the best for Ami, because she wanted to help   
her avoid the kinds of mistakes that she herself had made.  
  
'Mistakes like me' drifted to the surface before being squashed   
back down.  
  
Maybe her mother was right, maybe she was too young, maybe she   
could use some counseling. The very thought made Ami's heart   
twinge, almost bringing her to tears. How could something that   
made sense to her head cause her heart so much pain? Normally,   
Ami's head took precedence, unlike so many of her friends. It   
was a strength of hers, the ability to think clearly in any   
situation, to not allow herself to get swept up in a moment, but   
instead to retain a clarity of judgment. Why couldn't she do that   
now?  
  
As she scrolled up and down through her document, Ami realized   
that she might have reached the limits of what she could   
accomplish on her own. More than anything, she wished she could   
talk to Makoto. Makoto knew her, maybe better than Ami knew   
herself. Ami admitted ruefully that Makoto probably knew her   
emotions better than she herself did. Growing up alone had given   
her a depth of character and inner strength that Ami respected   
deeply.   
  
'I should have called her, she's probably worried about me.'   
  
Somehow, though, she just couldn't bring herself to call. She'd   
reached tentatively for the phone more than once. What could she   
say, though? Ami felt as though, as long as she didn't speak with   
Makoto, then they both could linger in that moment, like in a   
stasis, eyes closed, lips moving forward... To see her, to speak   
with her again would take them out of the 'then' and put them into   
the 'now'.   
  
Ami picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.  
  
----------------------  
  
"Hello? Ami-chan?"  
  
"No, Mako-chan, it's Rei."  
  
"Oh," Makoto didn't even try to hide her disappointment. "What's   
up? Is everything ok?"  
  
"Well, Ami-chan asked me to call you and let you know that she's   
ok."  
  
"Why didn't she call me herself?"  
  
"She didn't say exactly, just that she couldn't right now, but she   
didn't want you to worry about her. She said that everything will   
be ok."  
  
"What the hell does that mean?" Makoto didn't mean to yell at her   
friend, but couldn't really help herself. Fortunately, she knew   
Rei would understand. And, Rei did.  
  
"She said she needs to take care of some things. She also asked   
me to say something kind of specific. I'm not sure what it means,   
but she said you'd know."  
  
"What?"  
  
"She said, 'Tell her I promise that we'll finish our dinner   
properly.' Do you know what she means, Mako-chan?"  
  
Makoto smiled. She was still worried, of course, and more than a   
little confused, but that was enough. Enough to get her through   
the night, anyway. "I understand, Rei-chan. Thank you."  
  
"Mako-chan, are you busy tomorrow?"  
  
"I have class in the morning, but I'm free the rest of the day.   
Why?"  
  
"Would you want to stop by here in the afternoon, then? It's been   
awhile since we've spent some time together, one on one. Maybe we   
can trade gossip about Minako and your friend Kenjo!"  
  
"I know what you're up to, Rei-chan. I'm fine, but I'd love to   
see you. I'll come by around lunchtime. Now, I think I need to   
get to bed."  
  
"Great, see you tomorrow then. Bye!"  
  
----  
  
"Ok, I'm going to have lunch with her tomorrow. I'll fill her in   
on 'you know what'."  
  
"Great, and I'll take care of Ami in the morning."  
  
"It's not fair, you two get to do everything and I'm stuck in   
class all day."  
  
"Don't you have a date tomorrow night? I'm sure that you'll need   
most of the afternoon to get ready..."  
  
"Oooooooo, you're one to talk. How many hours a day do you spend   
putting up those meatballs! You'd better not spy on us again,   
either!"   
  
And so it went.... 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Friday morning  
--------------  
  
Ami looked up from her pillow. She remembered crawling into bed   
late last night, eyes sore from staring at a monitor late into   
the night. Fortunately, she didn't have any classes this   
morning. Her mother might have come and gone. Or not. Usually,   
Ami neither knew nor cared, but today she hoped her mother was   
gone. She just couldn't face her yet. Something inside her   
shooed that thought away, letting her maintain her brief vacation   
from worry. Instead, her mind did something rare and unusual; it   
shut down and put on the autopilot.   
  
Ami rose, washed up, showered, dressed and sat staring at the   
newspaper, a cup of coffee in one hand. With the other, she   
munched a breakfast burrito, fresh from the microwave. As her   
consciousness slowly resurfaced, it occurred to her that perhaps   
having an 'empty mind' was not such a horrible thing, at least   
once in a while. A fervent knock on the door brought her back   
fully, if not with some regret.  
  
Sneaking a peek though the peephole, she saw a giant blob of blue   
and white which soon resolved itself, as Usagi pulled her eye   
away from the other end. "Ami-chan! Are you in there?"  
  
Something about the Moon Princess just made it all too difficult   
to avoid a smile. Even as she opened the door, Ami felt her   
mood lightening, just a little.   
  
"Good morning, Usagi-chan! Don't you have classes this morning?"   
Ami asked, inviting her friend inside. "Will you have some tea,   
or maybe coffee?"  
  
"Ewww yuck! I don't know how you can drink that stuff. Cocoa   
would be good, though. It's still damp and chilly out!" Usagi   
removed her coat and shoes and joined Ami in the kitchen. "I   
would have brought Luna, but she hates going out in the rain   
lately. Probably because she's old and fat!" Usagi added with a   
mischievous giggle.   
  
"She is neither old nor fat," Ami corrected her. "You didn't   
answer my question about classes, though."  
  
"No, Mizuno-sensei, I do not have classes this morning. That's   
why I'm here!" Usagi announced.  
  
Ami looked at her puzzled, trying to figure it out for herself   
before finally giving up. If nothing else, Usagi challenged her   
mental faculties in a way that few other things did. "You're   
here because you don't have class?"  
  
"Yep," Usagi confirmed, getting out a mug for the cocoa Ami was   
preparing. "Rei-chan has to work, of course, and Mina-chan is in   
class all day. Poor thing will barely have time to do her hair   
for her big date tonight!"  
  
Ami poured the hot chocolate for her friend and sat back down,   
folding the newspaper and setting it aside carefully. "With   
Shinozaki-san again? They must have really hit it off. I can't   
remember the last time she agreed to see a boy more than once."  
  
Usagi leaned forward with a secretive smirk, "She's not willing   
to admit it yet, but she has it _bad_. You should have seen the   
two of them in the restaurant. I'm surprised her mouth didn't   
fall off after the way she kept shoving her lips at him to kiss."  
  
"Did she really kiss him?" Ami asked with some alarm. She knew   
that Minako (well, most of her friends really) had a lot more   
experience on dates, but she found it hard to conceive of any of   
them doing such a thing on a first date, and certainly not in a   
public place!  
  
"No, I think she would have, though!" Usagi opined. "It's a good   
thing I was there. That's when I let them catch me."  
  
"Usagi-chan! You know better than to spy on your friends like   
that!" Ami reprimanded her.   
  
"Oh, you're one to talk. You know, for someone so opposed to a   
little information gathering, I seem to recall you going along on   
a lot of those 'reconnaissance missions' over the years!" Usagi   
teased.  
  
Ami blushed deeply and sipped some coffee. Truly, she did have a   
curious nature. She liked to think she just did such things to   
make sure Usagi or Rei (the most enthusiastic spies) didn't go   
overboard, but she knew that the main reason was that she wanted   
to experience, if only in passing, those parts of her life that   
she'd shut away for so long. 'I must have learned something   
after all,' she realized, blushing again remembering her behavior   
with Makoto the other night.   
  
"Oh, you're so cute when you blush!" Usagi commented. "And I'm   
not the first one who's noticed that," she added in a knowing,   
sing-song tone.  
  
Ami looked up, quite shocked. "Am I?" She blushed again, doubly   
self-conscious all of a sudden. "I mean, who else said so?"  
  
"Mako-chan," Usagi replied glibly, eyes riveted to her shy young   
friend.  
  
The term 'blushing' didn't even come close any more. Usagi   
wondered if Ami could even feel her hands or feet with so much   
blood rushing to her face.   
  
"And that's why I'm here!" Usagi stated, setting down her mug.   
  
"I... I don't understand," Ami mumbled. It was as if all of her   
effort last night to organize her thoughts, to grab hold of her   
feelings, to make some sense of her life had crumbled in an   
instant. Her heart started to race as she felt the loose ends of   
her own life slipping and sliding in her hands.   
  
Usagi's voice shifted from flippant to serious and earnest. She   
reached forward to clasp Ami's trembling hands between her own,   
squeezing them reassuringly. "Ami-chan, you have feelings for   
Mako-chan, and that's ok."  
  
"How do you...why do you say that?" Ami asked, unable to meet   
Usagi's gaze.  
  
Usagi gave her hands another squeeze. "Ami-chan, I've known you   
longer than anyone, except Naru-chan I guess. You're one of my   
closest, dearest friends. So is Mako-chan. I'm not only your   
friend, I'm the Moon Princess. It's my job to know these   
things."  
  
"Who else knows?" Ami whispered.   
  
"Rei-chan. Mina-chan. Oh, and Kenjo-kun. He figured it out   
first, I think, probably because he knows Mako-chan so well."   
Usagi frowned slightly, still a little jealous that someone else   
had put all the pieces together before she had. 'I was just too   
close to the situation,' she reassured herself.  
  
"Kenjo-kun?" Ami's eyes widened in a look equal parts hope and   
fear.  
  
"Oh, don't worry, Ami. He's very supportive. We all are. We   
just want you and Mako-chan to be happy. She loves you, too, you   
know," Usagi replied. In the back of her head, she felt a bit   
guilty, recalling the advice Haruka had given. Still, it wasn't   
she who had started interfering. It had been that piece of   
trash! That gave them the right to help out, to even the balance!  
  
"I know she does," Ami replied quickly, brushing this off as a   
given. "But, maybe he has feelings for her. Maybe that's why he   
did it!"  
  
"Did what, Ami-chan?" Usagi asked, quite confused.  
  
"It couldn't have been you or either of the others. It had to be   
him!" Ami rambled, an almost manic excitement gripping her.   
  
"Him what?" Usagi demanded.  
  
"Him who.. he who.. It must have been him who told my mother!"   
Ami declared fervently.  
  
Understanding dawned in Usagi's eyes and she sighed heavily.   
"Told your mother? We figured it might be something like that."  
  
Ami took a breath and refocused on Usagi, that puzzled expression   
back on her face.  
  
"Ami-chan, I think I know who told your mother. I don't know   
what he told her, but it wasn't Kenjo-kun," Usagi said patiently.  
  
"But it had to be! No one else knows. Even _I_ didn't know   
until just the other day!" Ami exclaimed.  
  
"Ami-chan, it was your friend Urawa-san," Usagi informed her.  
  
"What? Ryu-kun? How could that be?"  
  
"Rei-chan saw him. He had been following you, on Wednesday   
night. After you went to Mako-chan's, he left and went to Tokyo   
General," Usagi reported.  
  
"Tokyo General...where my mom works..." Ami added sadly.   
  
"Yeah. We knew she worked in a hospital, but we weren't exactly   
sure which one these days," Usagi explained.  
  
"But why was Rei-chan spying on me?"  
  
"She wasn't, Ami-chan. She was spying on him."  
  
"But why?" Ami asked plaintively.  
  
"She said she just had a feeling. Maybe she had a vision," Usagi   
conjectured, "but in any case, she said she just knew he was up   
to something, after you described how he'd acted with you earlier   
in the week. She decided to keep an eye on him, and found that   
he was, well, he was kind of stalking you."  
  
Ami shook her head in disbelief, though in fact she found she   
could believe it. "But how did _he_ know? Nothing had happened;   
nothing did happen. My mom called...oh my god! She must have   
called for me to come home right after talking to him!"  
  
Usagi made a mental note to ask about exactly _what_ hadn't   
happened, once Ami got past this. "I know you like him, Ami-chan,   
but I think he's... well, I think he's gone off the deep end."   
  
Ami pursed her lips and concentrated. "Usagi-chan, what did you   
say just now?"  
  
"Ummm, he's gone off the deep end?"   
  
"No, before that, about Rei-chan," Ami asked.  
  
"Hmmm, she was keeping an eye on him, she had a feeling about   
him, maybe she had a vision..." Usagi tried to recall what she'd   
said exactly.  
  
"A vision!" Ami declared, looking up. "Ryu-kun is a psychic. He   
must have had a vision of some sort." Ami thought back to the   
last time she'd seen him. All had been normal, except for his   
very presence. He'd gotten a quick headache and then rushed off.   
"Either before he came to see me, or while he was with me, he   
must have had a vision."  
  
Usagi smiled gently, again grabbing Ami's hand. "A romantic   
vision, about you and Mako-chan I'd guess."  
  
All at once, Ami's deductive fervor evaporated, replaced by rosy   
cheeks and shy smile. "I think I really love her," she confessed   
in a whisper. Her words came slowly, deliberately, as if it was   
taking every ounce of her strength to force them through her   
lips. "And I think she might love me, too." Tears began to well   
up in her eyes. Ami couldn't tell if she was crying because of   
what she'd said, or just the fact that she'd said it at all.   
  
Silently, Usagi stood and moved next to Ami's chair. She wrapped   
her arms around her friend and drew her close. "I know, Ami-  
chan, I know," she murmured.   
  
Ami slid down out of her chair to the floor next to Usagi, laying   
her head on her friend's shoulder. All at once, Ami gasped,   
sucking in air convulsively. Her breath came in short gulps, as   
if she was hyperventilating. Usagi felt the tears flowing across   
her skin. Emotions of all sorts flowed out in a torrent, with a   
desperate force. Usagi could only imagine how much Ami had boxed   
and bottled up over the years. She could not ever recall seeing   
her lose control like this, so she remained where she was, rock   
solid, allowing Ami to cling to her as much as necessary.   
  
Feelings that had taken twenty years to accumulate forced their   
way out of Ami within only a few minutes. Finally, her sobs   
subsided and she began to breathe more smoothly. Usagi continued   
to whisper in her ear, encouraging her to let it all go,   
reassuring her that everything was going to be all right.   
  
More time passed and Usagi's knees got sore, but she persevered.   
Eventually, Ami pulled back. Her eyes were bloodshot, her face   
a mess. "Ami-chan," Usagi said gently, "you should never cry in   
public. You're a total mess."  
  
Despite herself, Ami giggled, snorting and coughing between   
laughter and tears for a bit. "I'll try not to, Usagi-chan," she   
promised. "I don't have as much practice as you do."  
  
Usagi grinned and tousled Ami's hair. "I'm an expert!" she   
declared proudly. "Maybe I can give _you_ lessons in something   
for once!"  
  
"I'd rather not," Ami meekly replied. She stood up gingerly and   
extended a hand to her friend. "We should at least sit on the   
couch."  
  
Usagi grimaced as her sore joints straightened, or tried to   
anyway. "Now you say that!" She moved over and sat so that Ami   
could lean against her. "Feel better?"  
  
"I think so, yes," Ami answered. "It's been quite a week, Usagi-  
chan."   
  
"Yes, but maybe the worst is over," Usagi advised her hopefully.  
  
"I don't think so," Ami replied with a forlorn sigh. "My mom is   
making me see a psychiatrist tomorrow."  
  
"Why?!" Usagi shouted. "What did that jerk tell her?!"  
  
"I don't know," Ami admitted, "but she seems to think I'm gay and   
need counseling." With a sheepish glance up, she added, "I guess   
I am... Maybe I do."  
  
Usagi stroked Ami's hair tenderly. "Well, if you love a woman   
then I guess you are gay, by definition. But, that doesn't mean   
you need counseling. I'd say it means you need to meet a nice   
girl, and you already have."   
  
Ami laughed sadly. "The best. Oh, Usagi-chan, I almost wish you   
had been spying on me the other night. It was such a wonderful   
evening. I think... well, maybe I shouldn't have been so quick   
to criticize Mina-chan for maybe kissing on her first date."   
  
"Ooooo, did you two kiss?" Usagi asked with an excited tone that   
made her sound like a high school kid all over again.  
  
"No," Ami shyly divulged, "but we probably would have, if my mom   
hadn't called."  
  
'Another thing that Rat-Boy has to atone for!' Usagi calculated.   
  
"Ami-chan, there is nothing wrong with two people loving each   
other. You told me that when we first found out about Haruka and   
Michiru. Heck, it was you who figured it out first!" Usagi   
recalled.  
  
"I suppose that even back then, I was sensitive to such things,"   
Ami realized.   
  
"Did you know back then, that you were..." Usagi inquired   
carefully.  
  
"No, I don't think I ever thought about it," Ami explained. "You   
guys know how upset I used to get on those rare occasions I'd get   
love letters or something. I just tried not to think about those   
things. I never really felt any attraction to any boys. I   
always noticed girls, but never really let myself think about it   
much. Even when I went out a couple times with Ryu-kun, I never   
felt anything other than friendship, and pity I suppose."  
  
"What are you going to do about him?" Usagi asked.  
  
"I'll have to talk to him, I guess," Ami sighed.   
  
"Aren't you angry?" Usagi was incredulous at her calm reaction.  
  
"No, for some reason I'm not," Ami replied with some amazement.   
"I feel sorry for him. I know he's always been a little...   
overzealous..."  
  
"Obsessed," Usagi corrected her.  
  
"Ok, obsessed. I've known that, and I've tried to let him down   
easy. I guess I just didn't do it well enough," Ami concluded.  
  
Usagi straightened up and lifted Ami up so she could stare into   
her eyes. "No, Mizuno Ami! You will not decide that his actions   
are in any way your fault! You have done nothing wrong and he   
went out of his way to make your life difficult, just for his own   
gain. He is a scheming rat and no friend of yours! He'd just   
better hope that you catch up with him before Mako-chan does   
when she finds out."  
  
"Mako-chan?" Ami tilted her head. "No, Mako-chan won't do   
anything."  
  
Again, Usagi was confused. It was Rei's job to inform Makoto,   
but in such a way so as to prevent her from going out and frying   
the rat, no matter how much he might deserve it. "She won't?   
How do you know that?"  
  
Ami smiled possessively, "I just know. She won't."  
  
Usagi remained puzzled, but let it go. "So, what are you going   
to do then about him, about your mom?"  
  
Ami laid her head back down. "I'll talk to him." Feeling Usagi   
clench up, she hastily added, "I'll be fine. I can handle Ryu-  
kun."  
  
"And your mom?"  
  
Ami sighed and remained quiet for awhile, "I'm not sure, Usagi-  
chan, I'm not sure. But, I will be."  
  
They remained like that for some time, neither feeling the need   
to speak or move too much. Truthfully, Usagi almost dozed off.   
Having Ami's head in her lap was as comforting as having Luna sit   
there, and a lot more quiet. Finally, Ami sat up.   
  
"Usagi-chan, I need to clean myself up and get ready for class   
today," Ami said with disappointment.  
  
"Are you all right?" Usagi asked, standing up slowly.  
  
"No, but I think I will be, now. I'm a lot better." Ami gave   
Usagi a big hug before escorting her toward the door. "Thank you,   
Princess, for everything."  
  
"Don't be silly, Ami-chan," Usagi chided her. "That's what   
friends are for. That's what _best_ friends are for. What are   
your plans for the rest of today and tomorrow?"  
  
Ami pondered her schedule, "Well, I have class this afternoon.   
Mako-chan works in a restaurant on Friday evenings, so I guess   
I'll use the time to track down Ryu-kun. Otherwise, I don't   
know."  
  
Usagi grinned, "Wanna help me spy on Mina-chan tonight? He's   
taking her to karaoke!"  
  
Ami shook her finger reproachfully at her friend, "No, and you   
should leave them alone. If she does like him, she needs time   
with him without you snooping around!"  
  
"You're no fun!" Usagi huffed. "Well, if you're not busy   
tomorrow morning, come over to my place around 10."  
  
"Why? What's going on?" Ami inquired.  
  
"Well, apparently Mako-chan and Kenjo-kun have this ongoing thing   
where they play each other in basketball. Usually she kicks his   
butt!" Usagi tittered in a show of sisterly solidarity. "Anyway,   
we thought we'd go over and watch."  
  
Ami considered this. On the one hand, she knew that Makoto   
cherished her time with her friend and could be quite possessive,   
if not secretive, about it. On the other hand, visions of Makoto   
in a t-shirt and shorts, sweating as she ran back and forth, her   
will focused completely, brought a rush of adrenaline. "I'll   
think about it," Ami conceded.   
  
Usagi knew what that meant and chuckled inwardly that it was   
still all too easy to get Ami out on a 'recon mission'. "I'll   
see you tomorrow then. Bye!" Before Ami could protest that she   
hadn't made a decision, Usagi skipped off toward the elevator. 


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 Friday afternoon  
------------------  
  
Makoto drew her coat around her as she darted across the street   
on her way to the shrine. Usually, she would have gone home   
first to change out of her cooking school uniform. The ugly   
clothes were the only thing she didn't enjoy about school. For   
some reason, though, she hadn't bothered today. Instead, she'd   
headed straight to Rei's. A car passed and almost drenched her   
speeding through a large puddle. Makoto moved a bit further from   
the edge of the sidewalk and started up the hill. She had mixed   
feelings about rain. For obvious reasons, she enjoyed lightning   
and thunderstorms, but cold, dismal drizzles like this reminded   
her of that night when her first love had broken her heart.   
  
'I ought to send him a letter and tell the jerk that he was such   
a crappy boyfriend, I turned out gay!' Makoto chuckled to   
herself. It was odd, though, to think now about the things he'd   
complained about: she was too boyish, not feminine enough, too   
intimidating, etc. For so long, she'd tried to prove him wrong,   
taking up cooking and laboring to master all the other   
traditionally 'female' skills. Strangely enough, however, she   
found that she really enjoyed those things. She loved to cook   
for her friends and she took great pride in keeping her apartment   
neat and tidy. But, she also loved sports and martial arts and   
other typically 'boyish' things. 'Who the hell was he to try to   
put me in some box like that', she thought, regretting the   
insecurities of her youth.   
  
The notion that she was a lesbian was still quite novel, both   
terrifying and exciting. 'It's not official yet,' she lamented,   
though she knew that the verification didn't come from an event,   
but from the realization. For the past few days, she'd felt more   
at peace with herself than she had in living memory. Something   
had just clicked into place. Part of that was the knowledge that   
her dear little Ami loved her back, just the same way, but that   
wasn't all of it. It was something more important than a single   
person loving her (even someone as important as Ami). It was   
about knowing and loving herself.   
  
'You could never do that,' she accused her old sempai. 'You   
wanted to make me into something I wasn't, and I almost let you.'   
Makoto knew that Ami would never try to remake her. How   
wonderful to know that someone could love you for who you were,   
not who you could be or who you used to be or who you appeared   
to be.   
  
The only experience Makoto really had with lesbians was obviously   
with Haruka and Michiru. When they'd first met, she'd really   
thought of Haruka as a role model, even before she began to   
suspect the extent to which she meant that. In some ways, she'd   
wanted to be more like Haruka, and she had become so over the   
last few years: less dependant on others' opinions, more willing   
to take a stand about what was important, consequences be damned.   
At first, she'd been a little jealous of Michiru. Now, though,   
she found more and more that she wanted to be like her, too.   
Visions danced in her head suddenly. She wanted to put on   
something frilly and greet Ami after a long day at the hospital   
with a cool drink, a warm snack, and a steamy kiss. She wanted   
to stroll through the park on a warm day with Ami by her side.   
She could see it as clear as day. She'd wear her forest green   
skirt, a lacy white blouse, and a pink scarf that would match her   
earrings and a ribbon in her hair. Makoto actually turned her   
head as she walked, seeing Ami standing next to her in her blue   
slacks, blue vest and white oxford. She shivered, not from the   
cold.  
  
'You'll never know what you missed out on, jerk,' Makoto   
concluded with a smile as she passed through the gates. Rei   
stood on the porch, waiting for her, just out of the rain.  
  
"Hey Mako-chan, I watched you come up here!" Rei called, "What's   
on your mind that's got you so focused?"  
  
Makoto grinned, unable to believe the set up she'd just gotten.   
"Why, I was thinking about my old sempai, of course!"  
  
Rei arched both eyebrows in confusion until, seeing Makoto's   
smile, she relaxed and laughed, slipping an arm around her   
friend's waist as she got up the stairs.  
  
"Come on, baka! I've got some tea brewing and for once, I thought   
I'd make you a meal. I'm a great cook, too, you know!" Rei   
announced.  
  
"As long as it comes pre-packaged and can fit in a microwave,"   
Makoto commented with a wry glance at the young, annoyingly dry,   
miko.  
  
Rei snorted her displeasure with that comment and escorted Makoto   
to the dining room. Hot tea did indeed await and Rei poured   
some for each of them as Makoto removed her wet shoes and coat   
and hung them with care by the door.   
  
For awhile, they simply chatted about this and that. Makoto   
described some of the things they'd been preparing this week in   
class, which encouraged a suddenly ravenous Rei to go pop lunch   
into the oven. Rei told Makoto about some of the things going on   
in the shrine.   
  
"Umino dumped Naru? In a letter? He's almost as much of a jerk   
as my old sempai!"  
  
Rei sighed, "Yeah, but I think she'll be ok. I don't even think   
that was why she came here. I think she's already getting over   
him." Rei turned and looked out the window with a wistful smile.   
  
"Why did she come then?" Makoto asked.  
  
"Oh, why does anyone come to a temple?" Rei joked with an overly   
light tone. "Probably to get in out of the rain! Now, let me go   
get lunch. You just wait here and let me serve you for once.   
Oh, I bought cookies, too!" she added as she left the room.  
  
Makoto nodded and settled back with her cup, watching the rain   
fall outside. Both the tea and Rei were making her feel quite   
warm and cozy. She really loved the shrine. It was so peaceful,   
and it held so many happy memories. She could see why Ami spent   
so much of her free time helping out here. Thoughts of Ami   
reminded her of the likely reasons Rei had invited her over,   
though. While she wasn't exactly angry with Ami for having Rei   
call her instead of calling herself, she certainly wasn't   
thrilled with her either. 'I'm going to have to make her pay for   
that,' Makoto decided with a sinister smile. As her mind   
wandered over the various ways she could exact her vengeance, her   
expression shifted from sinister to steamy.   
  
"I really hope you're not thinking of your old sempai again," Rei   
told her, arriving back, bowls in hand. Her taunting smile   
brought sweat to Makoto's brow.   
  
"No, I .. uh.. it smells good!" Makoto all but shouted.   
  
Rei let her off the hook this time, happy in the knowledge that   
she'd busted her friend. The last time she'd seen that   
expression on someone's face, Usagi had been relating some quite   
intimate details about her last meeting with Mamoru. Of course,   
no one else had been particularly interested in hearing such   
things, but neither had they really tried to stop her. Reminders   
of Usagi and Mamoru were not going to help Rei's mood, though, so   
she quickly dropped that line of thought.  
  
After they got most of the way through the noodle dishes, Rei   
decided she'd better get on to business, before Makoto made some   
excuse to leave. "So, were you mad at Ami for having me call   
you?" she asked, figuring she might as well be direct.  
  
Makoto smiled, "Funny you should ask. I was trying to decide   
while you were getting lunch ready. I don't think so. Mostly,   
I'm annoyed."  
  
"Annoyed?" Rei urged her to continue.  
  
"She had to go cause her mom called her," Makoto explained, "and   
I can understand that. Do you know much about Ami's mom?"  
  
Rei thought for a moment. She knew that Ami's mom was a doctor,   
of course, and worked in a hospital. She could guess now which   
one. She had a vague memory of Ami saying something about making   
cookies with her mom as a child. "No, not really," she admitted.  
  
Makoto nodded, not surprised. "Well, it's not something Ami talks   
about often, but her mom can be pretty tough on her. Ami doesn't   
complain, but she really rides her hard, about her grades and   
classes and stuff. I can see why Ami would dash off like that."  
  
The final pieces came together for Rei. She'd known, of course,   
that that jerk Urawa had done something. She'd seen him herself.   
Once she recalled that Ami's mom worked in a hospital, she'd been   
all but certain that that was why he had gone there. Now, she   
knew for sure. That would have to wait, though.   
  
"If you understand, why are you annoyed?" Rei asked carefully.  
  
Makoto's eyes flashed, "I understand why she left, Rei-chan, but   
not why she didn't call me herself."  
  
"I thought you said you understood her message, about finishing   
dinner," Rei replied, trying to soothe Makoto with her voice.  
  
Apparently, it worked, as Makoto slumped down in her seat. "I do.   
I did. I don't know. Rei-chan?" Makoto looked up and caught   
Rei's eyes with her own serious gaze.  
  
"Yes, Mako-chan?"  
  
'Coming to terms with it means sharing it with your friends,'   
Makoto decided. "Rei-chan, when her mom called, well...we   
were about to kiss. For the first time... first time like that   
anyway. I.. I love her, Rei-chan, and I'm pretty sure she loves   
me, too." She exhaled deeply, feeling yet another weight fall   
off of her shoulders.  
  
"Ohhhhh," Rei sighed happily. "Ohh, Mako-chan," Rei sighed   
again, disappointed for her friend.   
  
Makoto's eyes trembled. "And I haven't seen her since, or even   
heard from her. She told me...you told me...that she didn't   
regret it, that she wanted to, next time we saw each other, but   
why hasn't she called me?" Makoto bristled with tears and   
frustration.   
  
"Silly Mako-chan," Rei explained, patting her friend's hand,   
"you've answered your own question. She's decided that next time   
she sees you, she wants to finish what got interrupted. She's   
saving herself until she can do it right."  
  
Makoto looked up, smiling tentatively. "She's always been a   
perfectionist."  
  
"Yes, and she can also be really stupid sometimes!" Rei snorted   
with exasperation. "A first kiss isn't perfect because of when or   
how it happens. A first kiss is perfect because of the love it   
signifies."  
  
"Ooo, that's good!" Makoto declared, sitting up straight. "Can I   
use that?"  
  
"Sure, but eventually you have to give me credit. Wisdom is my   
job, after all!" Rei laughed, gesturing to her miko outfit.   
  
"Kinda bad timing on her mom's part, though," Makoto grumbled.   
"Just my luck, I guess."  
  
Rei's expression became much more serious. "Not luck, Mako-chan.   
That call didn't just happen." Seeing Makoto's confusion, Rei   
continued. "Her mom called at that time because someone had told   
her where Ami was, and must have implied something about what she   
was doing."  
  
Makoto shot up out of her chair. "What?! Who?!! Why?!!!" she   
stammered, trying to come to terms with this news.  
  
Rei also stood, albeit much more slowly, and moved next to her   
friend. "Take a deep breath, Mako-chan. Everything will be all   
right. Calm down. Ami's friend, Urawa, visited the hospital   
where Ami's mom works that same night, probably right around the   
time you guys were finishing your dinner."  
  
"How do you know that?" Makoto demanded.  
  
Rei breathed heavily, "It's a bit of a long story..." She   
proceeded to explain to Makoto about Minako and Kenjo's theory,   
mentioning briefly that she'd suspected Ami's feelings herself,   
along with Usagi's observations of things over the years. She   
told her about their decision to try to help, about Haruka's   
advice, about her own suspicions regarding Urawa and her actions   
following him.   
  
About halfway through, Makoto leaned back against the wall, arms   
crossed. Eventually, Rei ran out of narrative. "Haruka-san was   
right, Rei-chan," Makoto observed, "we were doing just fine on   
our own." She laughed briefly, "Damn that 'Shinoko', I'll never   
hear the end of it that he figured it out before me, even if it   
was only by a day or so."  
  
Rei felt quite relieved that Makoto was not (yet) running out the   
door to track down Urawa. "We didn't want to interfere, Mako-  
chan. We just love you both and we all think you could be very   
happy together."  
  
Makoto simply smiled in agreement at that.  
  
"But, I just knew that guy was up to something, coming here out   
of the blue and then running off for no good reason," Rei   
continued, her voice starting to lose its calm. "I'm glad I   
followed him! Otherwise, we might never have known and poor Ami-  
chan might still think he was a friend."  
  
"Does Ami-chan know?" Makoto asked quietly.  
  
"Hai. Usagi went over there this morning and was going to tell   
her. Usagi is good with that kind of thing," Rei pointed out.  
  
"She is," Makoto agreed. Slowly, she moved away from the wall,   
standing straight. "Well, it's been quite a week, Rei-chan.   
Even though I said Haruka-san was right, I am happy you all were   
watching out for us. Thank you."  
  
Rei stood with a suspicious look, uncertain about her friend's   
mood or plans. "You're not going to do anything rash, are you?"  
  
Makoto stunned Rei by laughing happily, "Me? No, of course not.   
Well, I'm going to get ready for my shift tonight at the   
restaurant and tomorrow I'm going to beat Kenjo-chan just that   
much more thoroughly so I'll have some ammunition when he tries   
to give me grief about this."  
  
"But, what about Urawa? Aren't you mad? I know I want to go and   
toast the sniveling little bastard, and you've got a lot more   
reason than me!" Rei flared hotly, finally losing her temper   
completely and quite miserably failing to demonstrate the kind of   
calm she had been urging on her friend.  
  
Makoto patiently laid a hand on Rei's shoulder. "Of course I'm   
mad, Rei-chan, but it's not about me." Makoto paused to gather   
her thoughts. "You see, part of my job as Sailor Jupiter is to   
protect Sailor Mercury. It's one of my favorite parts of the   
job, truthfully. But, this isn't about Sailor Mercury. It's   
about Mizuno Ami. He's her 'friend'; he spoke to her mother;   
it's her problem to deal with. Not mine. I'll be here for her,   
before and after, but I won't fight her battles for her. Nor   
would she want me to. I respect her too much for that."  
  
Suddenly Rei felt ashamed. Seeing this, Makoto reached down to   
the table and handed Rei a cookie that had been left over from   
dessert. "Ami-chan will sort it out, and then she and I will   
sort our situation out. If there's one thing I've learned being   
a sailor scout, it's that love triumphs over all."  
  
Rei smiled, comforted by the thought, even if she was not quite   
so certain of it as Makoto. 'Easy for you to say,' she thought   
briefly. 'Your love is not unrequited.' Realizing that such   
ideas were petty, especially at a time like this, Rei shook them   
off and gave Makoto a hug.   
  
Makoto held her friend gently, realizing not for the first time   
how truly blessed she was to have friends...to have a   
family...like this. Gathering her coat and putting on her   
shoes, she left without another word. Something else she'd   
learned was that when you said a cool tagline, you didn't mess it   
up by adding anything.  
  
After Makoto left, Rei cleaned up the dishes and came to a   
decision.   
  
BEEP "Usagi? It's me, Rei. I know you're in class now, but   
when you get home, give me a call. I thought maybe we could get   
together tonight, and no, not to spy on Mina. Maybe we could go   
shopping or something? Hey, why don't you invite Naru-san as   
well! I bet she'd like to get out, too. Give me a call when you   
get in! Bye!" 


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Friday night  
-----------------  
  
Minako met Kenjo in the foyer of her residence hall. Though she   
had been known in the past to make dates linger as long as half   
an hour, this evening she was already waiting when he arrived.   
She told herself that it was only fair, given that he'd gotten to   
their last meeting first. The fact that she'd wiled away an   
entire day's worth of classes planning her outfit and hair, and   
that she'd actually been ready to go twenty minutes before he   
arrived, might have led some to believe that she was just the   
slightest bit anxious to see him again. Dinner and karaoke   
called for a more casual outfit than the one she'd worn on their   
first date. After lengthy consideration, she'd decided on a red   
silk blouse and a black leather skirt, with appropriate   
accoutrements. Her hair pulled back off of her face, held in   
place by a gold clip. A few stray tendrils hung randomly where   
they had been placed over the course of thirty minutes. If it   
just so happened that such a hairdo provided easy and convenient   
access to the nape of her neck, well, surely that was a   
coincidence.  
  
"Right on time, Kenjo-kun," Minako said, rising slowly from the   
couch where she'd been sitting. She gave him a subtle once-over.   
Minako knew that men rarely put a tenth as much thought into an   
outfit as they probably should. Still, he hadn't done bad; his   
outfit was quite appropriate for a second date: black jeans and   
a midnight-blue sweater. Funny, though it had only been a couple   
of days, she hadn't remembered how perfectly his hair cut framed   
his dark eyes.   
  
Kenjo gave her a sly glance. "Well, there's only so many times   
you can walk around campus." Seeing her confusion, he quickly   
added, "I was just a little early, maybe an hour or so."   
  
Minako laughed and blushed prettily, sliding her arm through his   
as they headed outside, catching up on the events of the last   
couple days along the way to the restaurant.   
  
"So, have you talked to Mako-chan," Minako asked eventually.   
  
"Actually, no," Kenjo admitted. "We don't really talk all that   
often. It's a quality over quantity thing." Turning to her, he   
added, "Besides you told me to wait and there's not really any   
way I could talk to her without going into everything."  
  
"Why not?" Minako asked. "Couldn't you just talk about other   
things?"  
  
Kenjo chuckled. "She knows me way too well. One of the reasons   
we get along so well is that we can't lie to one another,   
certainly not about anything important anyway."  
  
"Could you lie to me?" Minako gave him her best coquettish look.   
  
"I doubt it, but fortunately, I don't think I'll ever need to,"   
Kenjo replied, returning her look with a dangerously serious one   
of his own. Minako smiled subtly and dropped the subject.   
  
"So, I assume you've spoken with her," Kenjo said, encouraging   
Minako to elaborate.   
  
"Mmm-hmmm." Minako decided that 'coy' would work well in this   
situation.  
  
"And???"  
  
"Oh, well, actually I haven't spoken directly with Mako-chan.   
Rei is handling that part of it, or at least she was supposed to   
this afternoon."  
  
"Part of it?" Kenjo realized he'd have to change tactics.   
Adopting a breathy, self-deprecating voice, he went on, "I   
suppose I understand if you don't trust me."  
  
"Oh you!" Minako huffed, sticking her tongue out at him.   
  
Kenjo raised an eyebrow suggestively, but so briefly Minako   
couldn't be sure if he'd really done it or not.   
  
"Fine, I suppose I can fill you in," she offered with feigned   
unwillingness. By the time they got to the restaurant, Minako   
had brought him completely up to speed on what they'd learned.   
  
After settling in and ordering their meals, Kenjo inquired, "So,   
that jerk ratted Mizuno-san out to her mom, huh? How is her mom   
likely to react?"  
  
Minako shrugged, "No idea. She rarely talks about her mom. I   
don't think they're particularly close, but it is her mom. She's   
a doctor and I've heard doctors usually have pretty enlightened   
attitudes about, well, you know..."  
  
Kenjo nodded, "Yeah, if nothing else I think they get in their   
training that it's something you're born with, not something that   
you can cure." He sipped his drink. "Of course, everyone's   
different. Who knows how her mom will react. Still, if Mizuno-  
san really does love Mako-chan, they should be able to sort all   
of those things out."  
  
"I hope so," Minako agreed. "I know you don't know Ami-chan very   
well, but she really is sweet and I just know that she and Mako-  
chan will be very happy together." She sighed happily thinking   
of her friends. For a moment, they sat, both content to rejoice   
in the anticipation of their friends' happiness.   
  
Soon, the food arrived and their date moved along in typical   
second-date fashion. Questions and discussions moved from the   
mundane to the more personal. Tales of past joys and sorrows   
were shared. Personalities emerged as conversation became   
increasingly less guarded, more open. Each sought to glimpse the   
secret, special places inside the other. And so, dinner passed.   
  
At the karaoke club, sly comments about the skills, or lack   
thereof, of the other patrons began to create and enhance the   
atmosphere of "we" between them. Minako chose songs to sing   
which would emphasize her fine singing voice, and also set an   
appropriate mood. Kenjo used his song selection to share parts   
of his inner self, and also to reveal his growing interest and   
fondness for her. After the first song or two, when either one   
performed, they sang only for each other. Whether from the   
stage to the back of the room, or across their small table, their   
eyes rarely parted. Conversation was difficult in such a place,   
but volumes of information were shared through things like the   
tilt of a head, the light brush of fingers on the tabletop, a shy   
smile or a knowing gaze. Without words, agreement was reached,   
bills were paid, and Minako and Kenjo headed back out into the   
night.  
  
The silence that the club had forced upon them lingered as they   
walked. Minako basked in the comfort of it and soon found   
herself pressed against Kenjo's side, her head lying gently on   
his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her and laced his   
fingers with hers, wishing she lived miles more away. The dorm   
loomed in the distance, however, much to both of their regrets.  
  
"I'd say I had a lovely time," Kenjo finally said quietly, "but   
it wouldn't come close to covering it. You're incredible." He   
looked at her with wonder sparkling in his eyes.  
  
Minako smiled, stopping him with a squeeze as she stepped in   
front of him and took both of his hands in hers. "Come on,   
there's something I want to show you," she said eagerly, dragging   
him down a side path.   
  
Following her happily, if not a little nervously, Kenjo soon   
spied their destination. Just a block away from her residence   
hall, there was a small playground. When she noticed that he'd   
figured out where she was taking him, Minako giggled and took off   
ahead of him, forcing him to run to keep up. Stopping in front   
of the swing set, she sat down as demurely as possible and looked   
up at him expectantly. Kenjo stood there with a wry grin,   
waiting.  
  
"Well," she demanded, "aren't you going to push me?"   
  
Kenjo bowed floridly and moved around behind her. Carefully, he   
took her by the waist, trying not to think too much about how   
that felt, and pulled her back. As he released her, she   
gleefully squealed "Wheeeeee". With light pushes on her   
shoulders, he propelled her forward over and over again until he   
actually felt a light sweat beginning to form. Once in awhile,   
she would turn, usually to insist on going higher. When she did,   
Kenjo found it hard to breathe. Her entire face glowed and he   
found himself bathed in the radiance of her energy, her   
happiness, and her charm.   
  
After a few minutes, his pushes became less effective, as he let   
his hands linger on her back. Minako grew more quiet, though no   
less happy, until she came to a complete stop. Kenjo stepped in   
front of her offering her both hands. When she took them, he   
pulled her to her feet and forward into his arms, which he locked   
around her waist.   
  
Laying her hands on his shoulders, Minako smiled up at him. "I   
think you're incredible, too," she murmured. As he leaned down   
slowly, so very slowly, she closed her eyes. His lips touched   
hers and she felt her heart race. One of Kenjo's hands slid up   
her back to the base of her neck, fingers slipping into her hair,   
as he felt her lips part. Her hair smelled like strawberries and   
cream; she tasted like heaven.   
  
After an eternity captured in a moment, they parted, hands and   
arms still locked about one another. Her expression was serious,   
hopeful, with just the slightest tinge of worry. Kenjo smiled   
gently, twirling his fingers behind her ear. "Your hair is so   
soft," he whispered. The worry vanished and Minako laid her head   
on his chest, hugging him tightly. Part of her longed to kiss   
him again, if not throw him onto the ground and ravish him   
completely. However, the better part of her wanted nothing more   
at the moment than to stand in his arms, letting him play with   
her hair, feeling his chest rise and fall beneath her.   
  
Kenjo leaned down slightly and laid a soft kiss on the top of her   
head before resting his cheek there. All too soon, he pulled   
away, relishing her sigh of disappointment as he did. "I think   
I'd better get you home. It's getting late," he reluctantly   
pointed out.   
  
"I know," she sighed, letting him lead her back toward the dorm.   
"When do you have to head back to school?"  
  
It was Kenjo's turn to sigh. "My train leaves tomorrow night."  
  
Minako nodded. They had reached the entrance and other students   
bustled around them. "Thank you, Kenjo-chan, I had a wonderful   
evening." As she had hoped, Kenjo grinned broadly, getting the   
cutest little shade of pink near his ears.  
  
"When will I see you again, Mina-chan?" he asked anxiously.  
  
Minako stepped forward and placed a light kiss on his cheek.   
"Sooner than you think, I'm sure," she whispered. With a   
mischievous grin, she turned and went inside. Kenjo headed home   
in a happy daze. He was almost to his front door before he   
remembered he had an appointment in the morning on the basketball   
court!  
-----------------  
  
Urawa Ryu sat in the quaint cafe he'd found across the street   
from Ami's condo building. Swirling a biscotti in his espresso,   
he congratulated himself once again on the success of his   
efforts. Dr. Mizuno had been very receptive to him and had   
assured him that she would put a stop to the efforts of that   
tramp Kino to seduce her daughter. While Ryu felt the occasional   
twinge of guilt at having slightly distorted his account, such   
regrets were few and far between. Besides, even though he   
hadn't had the evidence he'd claimed, he had probably still been   
right. Ami was no lesbo; her own love for him confirmed that.   
She was just shy and a bit confused. Who even knew what kind of   
mind control powers "Sailor Jupiter" might have anyway? A pure,   
trusting soul like Ami's would never guess that one of her   
comrades-in-arms was plotting to warp her mind for her own sick   
purposes. Suddenly, things became clear. Maybe this wasn't a   
sudden event, but something that had been going on for a long   
time. After all, the mental manipulations of that dyke Kino   
might have been going on for years. No wonder Ami always backed   
off when he asked her to date him!  
  
'I'm a hero!' Ryu realized. 'I'm going to save her life just like   
she saved mine.'   
  
"Urawa-san?" A stern female voice sounded from behind him. Urawa   
couldn't place it at all. Turning, he spilled his coffee. Ami   
stood there, hands crossed over her chest, looking quite serious.   
  
"Ami-chan?" he asked, hastily controlling the spill with napkins.   
  
"No!" she lashed out before he could continue, "You have no right   
to call me that. You may refer to me as Mizuno-san, for as long   
as you have the right to speak with me at all, that is."  
  
Ryu put on his best 'innocence personified' look. "But, what's   
wrong? Are you angry about something?"  
  
Ami noticed the rest of the patrons beginning to focus on them,   
so she slid quickly into the booth across from him. She'd had   
all day to prepare for this conversation. Usagi had not only   
given her the information, but also the perspective and the   
strength to deal with this person. So many things that she'd   
ignored over the years, things she'd been unwilling to react to   
based on some lingering sense of responsibility for one whose   
life she had saved twice, now made perfect to sense to her. Her   
friends had been right about him. Much as she hated being wrong,   
Ami despised being made a fool of even more.   
  
"I would be angry," she informed him calmly, "but you are beneath   
such a strong emotion. For years, I have counted you as one of   
my good friends, perhaps my best male friend, after Mamoru. I   
have listened to your problems, helped you deal with your powers,   
put up with your unwillingness to accept the boundaries I sought   
to place on our relationship..."  
  
"But Ami-chan," Ryu interrupted, "our love knows no bounds.   
You've been manipulated by your so-called friends. It came to me   
in a vision. Kino is twisting your mind against me!"  
  
Ami put an end to Ryu's ranting with a firm slap on the face.   
"How dare you say anything about my friends! How dare you even   
imply such things. I would have happily given you my friendship,   
but it was never enough for you. Well, now you have lost that.   
I could have almost understood your betrayal. For awhile I   
wondered if it was something that was my fault. Now I see you   
for what you really are, a poor, deluded, sad example of a man.   
I pity you." Ami shook her head sadly, trying to remember the   
boy who had been her friend but seeing only the demented man he   
had warped into. She wondered briefly if this wasn't the result   
of carrying so much evil inside himself for so long, but recalled   
that none of the other crystal carriers had turned out to be so   
reprehensible. Not for the first time that day, she lamented her   
own failure to see him for what he truly was long before.   
  
Ryu held his cheek, still stained red by the force of her hand.   
"You can't treat me like that, Ami-chan," he sputtered, a wild   
light forming behind his eyes. "You can't fight your destiny.   
If you won't accept what they're doing to you, then maybe I'll   
have to play by their rules."  
  
"What does that mean?" Ami asked cautiously.   
  
Ryu laughed harshly, "I didn't tell your mother everything I   
could have, you know." Seeing understanding slowly dawn on Ami's   
face, he grinned maliciously. "That's right. It would be a shame   
if she found out, if the whole world found out, about your secret   
identity... Sailor Mercury."   
  
Ami sat and thought for a moment and Ryu celebrated his victory.   
She would be angry with him, of course, but once they were   
together, once he possessed her fully, body and spirit, then she   
would understand. She'd thank him. He felt a stirring in his   
loins as he gleefully imagined the ways in which he'd make her   
understand.   
  
Again, his revelry was disrupted by a slap across the face. "I   
saved your life, twice. I can see that means nothing to you   
now." Ami sighed and pulled out her hand-held computer.   
  
"Don't do that again," Ryu declared in a hot voice. "And don't   
think I won't tell everyone about you!"  
  
Ami smiled serenely, all the while punching buttons on the   
device. With a happy nod, she raised her eyes to his. "No, you   
won't. I may have been blind about you before, Urawa-san, but   
never mistake me for an idiot. Do you really think I would have   
come here not having considered your possible reactions? True, I   
assessed a probability that you'd stoop this low that, in   
retrospect, is much too low. Still, the possibility did occur."   
She held out the screen so he could see what was displayed there.  
  
With a sense of foreboding, Ryu leaned forward and examined the   
screen. There were multiple windows, overlapping, and it was a   
small display to begin with, but he could very clearly make out   
what was going on. Ami had compiled a complete dossier on him.   
Somehow, she'd worked her way into his private files and email   
and had found multiple instances of him bragging about cheating   
on tests, money taken in sports or casino bets, women he'd   
seduced, and other illicit things all done using his psychic   
powers.   
  
Sensing that he'd gotten the gist, she pulled the device back.   
"You lied to me about the way you used your powers, Urawa-san,   
but now I'm glad you did. Not only will I release all of those   
documents to the most interested individuals, I will ensure that   
all of the darkest corners of your pathetic personality are aired   
for the world to see. After that, people wouldn't believe you if   
you told them the sky was blue, let alone whatever fallacies you   
might dream up about me."  
  
Ryu clenched his fists, his world crumbling around him. His   
first instinct was to smack her around for her audacity.   
Fortunately for him, he knew that she was a sailor soldier and   
could undoubtedly wipe the floor with him if he tried.   
  
Ami noted his behavior and nodded. "As I expected. Now, this is   
what is going to happen. I know you have a twisted view of me,   
but let me make this quite clear. I do not fool around when it   
comes to my friends and I have fought much more difficult foes   
than you. You are going to leave this place and you are never   
going to see me again. You will not call me, write me, follow   
me, spy on me, or ever seek to contact me again. I can't stop   
you from thinking about me, but you will not speak of me with   
anyone. If anyone asks, we had a falling out and don't speak any   
more. That is, in highly expurgated form, the truth. On my   
part, I am going to try to forget you, except as a lesson learned   
about how to see people for what they are, not what you wish they   
were. If anything unusual comes out about me or any of my   
friends, I will release everything I've shown you, and also take   
a variety of actions that I haven't seen the need to reveal to   
you. You had best hope that someone else doesn't let any secrets   
out, because if they do, I'm going to assume it was you. Since   
you are not stupid, I know that you understand and thus, I will   
not take questions. Goodbye, Urawa-san."  
  
Ryu sat in a stupor, unable to think, let alone respond, as Ami   
deliberately rose and exited the cafe without looking back.   
  
For her part, Ami returned home and collapsed on the couch. It   
had taken just about every ounce of energy she possessed to get   
through that horrible business and she felt completely drained.   
She couldn't even imagine going through such an intense   
conversation with her mother. After all, Urawa was just a pest,   
but her mother was... well, her mother. Some time later, Ami   
got up once again and left the building, noting as she did that   
the cafe was empty. She needed something, and for once, she knew   
exactly what it was.  
  
------------  
Makoto tasted the sauce once more to verify that it was done and   
moved it to a side burner to simmer. Around her, people bustled   
back and forth, shouting orders, carrying pots and trays,   
stirring, mixing, arranging, and doing all those other things   
required to feed hungry people in style. Normally, she loved   
Friday nights, as working in the restaurant gave her a true taste   
of what it would be like when she opened her own place.  
  
Tonight, however, she found herself distracted. No matter how   
she tried to shunt aside thoughts and feelings unrelated to   
cooking, they kept creeping back in. Worries, hopes, desires,   
plans, all revolving around one petite young woman with   
bottomless eyes and a touch as soft and powerful as the ocean   
tides.   
  
"Hey Kino!" A shout from one of the busboys disrupted her   
distraction. "One of the customers insists on complimenting you   
on that bearnaise sauce. How much did you pay to have someone   
come here and do that?"  
  
Makoto glared at the guy, "I don't need to pay for compliments,   
Tetsuo-kun. Which table is he?" She set down her spoon and   
moved over toward the doors to the dining room.  
  
"It's not a 'he', it's a 'she' and she's at table 9, a loner.   
Hot little thing, too. Maybe she'd like to try some of my   
'special sauce'." Tetsuo laughed crudely, dropping off the dirty   
dishes and heading out to bus some more tables.   
  
Looking out, Makoto gasped, though she'd had a hopeful suspicion.   
Taking off her apron quickly, she tossed it over a peg on the   
wall and yelled "I'm taking my break now! Back in a bit!" toward   
the head chef, who waved with disinterest. She darted a furtive   
glance at her reflection in the hanging cookware, but couldn't   
see exactly how disheveled she might look. Thinking that was   
probably for the best, she headed over to table 9.  
  
"I understand you enjoyed my bearnaise sauce, thank you for the   
compliment, ma'am," Makoto announced formally, bowing slightly.   
As she rose, a chill went down Makoto's spine. Ami truly looked   
like a dream come true as she sat there in a blue vest over a   
white frilled tuxedo shirt and blue jeans. 'Even better than the   
dream,' Makoto realized, feeling suddenly warm.   
  
Ami caught a glimpse of the color rising on Makoto's face and   
smiled shyly, gesturing toward the empty chair at her table. "It   
was simply exquisite. Will you join me?"  
  
Makoto returned the smile and sat down, unconsciously   
straightening her hair as best she could. "I can only stay for a   
few minutes; I'm on my break," she informed Ami.  
  
Ami nodded, but said nothing. Instead, she contented herself   
gazing at her friend. Even though it had only been a couple of   
days, it seemed as though she hadn't seen Makoto in weeks.   
Makoto submitted to Ami's scrutiny without complaint, though the   
color rose steadily until it matched her ever-present earrings.   
  
"I wish I could watch you work," Ami finally said. "I enjoy   
watching you cook at home so much. I can only imagine how much   
more interesting it would be to watch you do it on a larger   
stage."  
  
"Not much to see, unless you like watching people scrambling in a   
hot kitchen," Makoto laughed.  
  
"I like watching you do something you love," Ami explained in an   
intense tone that added to the goosebumps along Makoto's skin.   
Again, they sat for a bit just gazing at one another.   
  
This time, Makoto broke the silence, "So, I hear you had   
breakfast with Usagi-chan."  
  
"And you had lunch with Rei-chan," Ami countered.  
  
"I'd say that I suspect our friends are up to something," Makoto   
suggested, "but I already know for sure that they are."  
  
Ami nodded, now blushing herself.   
  
Makoto went on, "Did you handle things with Urawa-san?" She knew   
there was no need to compare notes or explain. They both   
understood their friends well, and each other even better.  
  
"He's been taken care of," Ami sighed, some of her exhaustion   
peeking through.   
  
Makoto reached out and laid her hand over Ami's protectively. "I   
can guess what that took out of you. I can't imagine what I   
would do if Kenjo-chan ever tried such a thing."  
  
"I doubt you'll ever have to worry about that," Ami replied,   
turning her hand over so it could clasp Makoto's. "I don't think   
he is anything like Urawa-san."  
  
Nodding in agreement, Makoto asked, "Are you going to be all   
right? I might be able to get the rest of the night off." Her   
expression betrayed the unlikelihood of that, however.   
  
Ami shook her head, squeezing Makoto's hand. "I'll be fine,   
Mako-chan, you don't need to do that. Besides, you need to rest   
up for your big game tomorrow. I just know you'll win."  
  
Makoto frowned, obviously more than ready to dispense with the   
game entirely if Ami needed her.   
  
Ami reassured her again, "I'm fine. You've already helped me   
more than you know." She looked down at their joined hands,   
lightly stroking Makoto with her thumb. "You know, it's funny.   
We haven't even kissed yet, but I feel like we've been dating for   
weeks, if not years."  
  
Makoto dropped her eyes, suddenly shy, but resisted the urge to   
pull her hand back. Ami reinforced that decision by grasping it   
with her other hand, now caressing it with both thumbs. "I... I   
know what you mean, Ami-chan. Part of me thinks we have so much   
to talk about, but another part wonders why, when we both already   
know." Cautiously, she raised her gaze back to Ami's.  
  
Ami reached out slowly and dusted some flour off of Makoto's   
shoulder, then brushed a stray lock of hair off of her face,   
letting her fingers linger on the nape of her neck. Closing her   
eyes and taking a deep breath, she pulled her hand back to join   
the other, holding Makoto's captive. "I've still got one thing   
to take care of, Mako-chan," Ami tentatively told her.  
  
This time, Makoto offered a reassuring smile and squeeze. "Your   
mother. That's not going to be easy, Ami-chan. Are you sure you   
want to?"  
  
"I do. I think I can. I hope I can," Ami sighed.   
  
She seemed so suddenly vulnerable that Makoto wanted nothing more   
than to wrap her in her arms and take her far away from   
everything. Instead, she did the only thing she could think to   
do, to offer up the kind of support that she knew her love would   
need. "Ami-chan, you've been my best friend for so long now that   
it's like you've become a part of me. My best friend, and so   
much more. I will always be here for you, no matter what she   
says or does, no matter what anyone thinks." Her tongue faltered   
at the last, as her heart leapt from her chest and caught it up.   
She willed the tears to stop, but didn't expect to succeed.  
  
"Hey Kino! Break's over and you're needed back in the kitchen!"   
Tetsuo informed her, passing by with a full tray of dishes,   
obviously too preoccupied to notice her situation.   
  
Ami grasped Makoto's hand tightly and then reluctantly let go.   
"You should go, I don't want you to get in trouble. Thank you.   
I think that's just what I needed."  
  
Makoto struggled to get a hold of herself, forcing both tears and   
heart back to their places. She felt exposed and incomplete, as   
if she was waiting for something.  
  
Rising from the table and slipping her jacket on, Ami crossed   
over to Makoto and leaned down to whisper in her ear.   
  
"I love you."   
  
Her lips paused briefly to place a surreptitious kiss on   
Makoto's earlobe before she rose again. More loudly she said,   
"I'll see you tomorrow!"   
  
Makoto stared at Ami in ecstatic disbelief. Just before the   
young girl left, she managed to catch her eye.   
  
"I love you" she mouthed silently.   
  
For the rest of her shift, she saw nothing else but the smile   
with which Ami had responded to her message and heard nothing   
else but those three words which had changed her life forever. 


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Saturday morning  
-------------  
  
The exercise machines at the Sports Center hummed with activity   
as Kenjo finished his cardio work. When he'd arrived about an   
hour earlier, the place had been mostly deserted, but while he   
worked out, it had started to fill up. Fortunately, he'd been   
able to reserve the basketball court. Drying his forehead with   
his towel and draining his water bottle, he headed over to where   
Makoto was stretching out.   
  
"Well, you all limbered up, Mako-chan?" he asked. "You'd better   
be. I've gotten better since we last played."  
  
"I hope so," Makoto replied with a grin, "and I hope you didn't   
expend too much energy on that elliptic thing. I wouldn't want   
you to play at anything short of your peak, after all."  
  
Kenjo extended a hand and pulled Makoto to her feet. "I was just   
getting warmed up. I could only get us thirty minutes, but that   
should be enough. Are you ready?"  
  
Nodding curtly, Makoto accompanied him out of the warmup area,   
past the racquetball rooms, to the main gym. Though the Sports   
Center had a full-length court, complete with bleachers and   
scoreboard for leagues, they would only use half of it. Tossing   
her sweatpants and sweatshirt onto the stands, she did some final   
stretches while Kenjo got a pair of basketballs from storage.   
  
Kenjo passed one ball to Makoto and began taking shots from a   
variety of distances with his own. Makoto followed suit until   
they both felt ready to begin.   
  
"Ok, we both trust each other, right?" Kenjo asked rhetorically.   
"I'll track your score. You track mine. We have until 10 on the   
dot, so about twenty, twenty-five minutes."  
  
"Losers start," Makoto informed him with a nasty smirk. "That   
would be you." Kenjo took a ball, checked it to her, and   
dribbled slowly toward the basket.  
  
For the first five minutes of their game, they each took it easy,   
settling for jump shots, not contesting rebounds very much,   
chatting as they played.   
  
"So, how was your date last night?" Makoto inquired while   
retrieving the ball after one of Kenjo's baskets.   
  
"It was incredible. Tell you all about it over lunch?" he   
suggested.  
  
"Loser buys?" Makoto countered. Seeing him nod, she agreed. "Ok,   
then I can tell you about my night over lunch, too."  
  
"Something interesting happen at work?"  
  
"Sort of, while I was on break. Interesting isn't quite the   
word," Makoto beamed, fading away and hitting a 12 foot shot over   
his outstretched hand.   
  
Kenjo eyed her appraisingly as he found the ball and dribbled   
back behind half-court. "I can't wait to hear this." With a   
wink, he gave her a head-fake left and drove to the right, trying   
to get around her for an easy layup, upping the intensity of   
their game a bit. Makoto bit on the head fake but recovered in   
time to swat his shot away as he went up toward the backboard.   
To the surprise of both of them, the block got a big crowd   
reaction.  
  
"WOOO! GO MAKO-CHAN!" Usagi yelled loudly. Over in the stands,   
the young blonde sat alongside Rei. Usagi had gone so far as to   
bring little pom-poms on sticks, which she now waved furiously.   
Rei simply shook her head sadly.   
  
As Kenjo fished the ball out of the distant corner where it had   
landed, Makoto moved closer to the bleachers. "What are you guys   
doing here?!"  
  
"We came to cheer you on, of course!" Usagi explained. "WOOO-  
HOOOO, GIMME AN M, GIMME AN A, GIMME..."  
  
"Give me a break!" Rei interrupted. "We came to watch, Usagi,   
not act like teenagers! Can't you ever grow up?!"  
  
As Usagi began to wail and complain that Rei was always so mean   
to her, and also that she wasn't properly supporting their   
friend, Makoto headed back to the court. Kenjo greeted her with   
a look of mixed amazement and amusement. "Brought out a cheering   
section, huh? That hardly seems fair. You must have been really   
worried about the game, I guess," he teased.  
  
"I had no idea," Makoto answered, shaking her head ruefully as   
Usagi attempted to perform some sort of complicated cheering   
routine that resulted in her falling flat on the floor.   
  
Kenjo chuckled and once again began play. While he was more   
amused than anything by Usagi's antics, and Rei's reactions to   
them, he did note that the cheers appeared to help Makoto's game.   
Basking in the applause and shouts of her friends, Makoto reeled   
off 4 straight points, even as Kenjo increased his defensive   
pressure. Now, they fought for every rebound and drove hard for   
the basket on almost every play.   
  
Finally, Kenjo broke Makoto's streak by sinking a pull-up jump   
shot. This time, however, it was his turn to receive some   
accolades.  
  
"Nice shot! You can do it!"   
  
Before he turned, he knew who it was and suddenly his pulse   
quickened, despite its already rapid pace. Sitting to one side,   
a few rows in front of Usagi and Rei, Minako clapped politely and   
smiled encouragingly.   
  
"Mina-chan!" Usagi admonished, "How can you root for a boy over   
our friend Mako-chan!"  
  
"I'm just trying to even the odds, Usagi-chan," Minako calmly   
pointed out. She acknowledged a wave from Kenjo with one of her   
own, along with a warm smile.  
  
"As if anyone could ever outscream this meatball head," Rei   
ruefully noted.   
  
Minako laughed, "Well, I'm going to try. It's only fair!"  
  
As Kenjo and Makoto continued their game, Usagi scooted over to   
sit on the bench directly behind Minako, followed quickly by Rei.   
"So, Mina-chan, I take it your date went well last night?"  
  
Minako gave Usagi a knowing look and then called out, "Way to go,   
Kenjo-chan! Nice steal!"  
  
Usagi and Rei exchanged glances to make sure each had picked up   
on that little development. Similarly, out on the court, Makoto   
lifted an eyebrow toward Kenjo, a gesture which he returned with   
only a mysterious, happy grin.   
  
"He seems very nice," Rei whispered, "I'm so happy for you, Mina-  
chan!"  
  
"Yeah, and he has nice legs too," Usagi noted. "You kissed him,   
didn't you?"  
  
Minako smiled, but didn't answer, instead remaining focused on   
the game.   
  
Usagi snickered and said, more loudly, "See, I told you she'd   
kiss him. You owe me an ice cream tonight!" Rei snorted, but   
didn't deny the debt, especially after noticing the blush on   
Minako's face.   
  
And so, the game continued. With Minako quietly cheering him on,   
Kenjo went on a small run to pull back close to even with Makoto.   
Usagi's cheering had died down as she focused her energies on   
trying to pry information out of an unresponsive Minako.   
  
"Who's winning?" a soft voice whispered behind the three women in   
the stands. Ami, having slid in unnoticed, leaned forward,   
speaking quietly so as not to disturb the game.  
  
"Our Mako-chan, of course!" Usagi declared. "At least, I think   
she is. Who's keeping score, anyway?"  
  
"They're keeping score, meatball head," Rei explained. "It's   
pretty close, but actually I think Kenjo-san is pulling ahead."   
  
At just that momemt, Kenjo spun around Makoto and sunk another   
layup. Minako clapped loudly, turning back to beam at her   
friends with pride. "Hi, Ami-chan!" she greeted her friend. "I   
hope you don't mind, but I thought Kenjo-chan needed at least a   
little support."  
  
Ami grinned and moved down to sit beside Minako, in front of Rei   
and Usagi. "I'm sure that Mako-chan understands, Mina-chan. She   
wouldn't want everyone to be cheering for her and no one for her   
friend."   
  
Usagi leaned forward, "How did it go yesterday, Ami-chan? Is   
everything ok?" Rei added, "Did you let that little bastard have   
it?"  
  
Ami sighed. "Yes, I dealt with Urawa-san. I don't think he'll be   
causing any more problems." At this news, all three of Ami's   
friends congratulated her and gave her quick hugs of support.   
  
"Thank you all, for everything," Ami told them, voice heavy with   
emotion. Getting a grip, she turned back toward the court, "Now,   
if you don't mind, I think I'd like to watch this."  
  
After a minute or two, with both players trading baskets, Minako   
dropped her head close to Ami's, speaking in a conspiratorial   
tone, but loud enough for Usagi and Rei to hear. "So, Ami-chan,   
do you want to make a side bet?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Ami replied cautiously.  
  
"You know, my boyfriend versus your girlfriend?" Minako   
concluded, enjoying the way Ami's complexion immediately went   
red.   
  
While Ami tried to stammer out some sort of reply, Usagi added   
her two cents. "Hey, Rei, what do you think of that outfit Mako-  
chan is wearing?" she asked in a theatrical voice.   
  
Rei normally tried to rein in those traits of Usagi's which she   
deemed childish, but the temptation to tease their dear shy   
friend was too great to resist. "Well, I like the t-shirt, but   
those shorts are awfully short, don't you think?"  
  
"I don't know," Usagi went on, happy to see Rei playing along   
with her. "If I had long, sexy legs like Mako-chan, I'd make sure   
to show them off as much as I could."  
  
"You're right, her legs really are very long, aren't they? And   
quite muscular too, wouldn't you say Ami-chan?" Rei asked   
innocently.  
  
Ami knew they were trying to get her to blush more, as if that   
was possible, but still, she found herself gazing out onto the   
court. Makoto's legs were really quite attractive. She felt a   
flash of warmth pass over her, sweat beginning to bead on her   
forehead.   
  
"What about the t-shirt?" Usagi continued. "It's a bit loose.   
I'm surprised she's not bouncing around all over the place."  
  
"Well, duh, she's wearing a sports bra, Usagi," Rei theorized.   
"Probably green, too, if I know Mako-chan. Don't you agree, Ami-  
chan?"  
  
Visions of Makoto bent over, spooning rice into her bowl, buttons   
straining, soft white skin swelling in front of her made Ami gasp   
briefly. Makoto's t-shirt clung to her back with the sweat of a   
hard-fought game and Ami could see her bra strap clearly   
outlined. She didn't trust herself enough to try to respond.  
  
"I've always envied Mako-chan her perfect breasts. Nice and   
big, but firm and perky. I wish I had so much up top," Usagi   
lamented.   
  
"I'm sure your Mamo-chan wishes you did, too!" Rei teased. "But   
you're right, Mako-chan is a beautiful woman. Someone someday is   
going to be very very lucky to have her."  
  
Ami nodded silently, completely befuddled by both the teasing and   
her own scandalous thoughts. Overwhelming desire was not a   
sensation with which Ami was either familiar or comfortable.  
  
Minako put an end to it. "That's enough, you two. The poor   
thing is going to explode. It's ok, Ami-chan. You know we all   
love you and we're all very happy for the two of you."  
  
Ami smiled at Minako in relief. Turning to Usagi and Rei, she   
added shyly, "You're both right, she is the most beautiful woman   
in the world."  
  
All three of Ami's friends sighed "Awwwww" and gave her another   
hug. As they split up, and Makoto hit a deep shot on the court,   
Ami announced, "I'll take your bet, Mina-chan. Your Kenjo seems   
like a good player, but I have faith in my Mako-chan."   
  
With a happy, mischievous grin, Minako shouted out, "Kenjo-chan!   
You have to win now; I have a bet on with Mako-chan's girlfriend!   
If you win, I'll give you a reward."  
  
As Makoto blushed over the term 'girlfriend', Kenjo dribbled over   
toward the stands. He'd suspected that everything had sorted   
itself out based on Makoto's earlier hints, but the confirmation   
made him almost as happy as he'd been the night before. Almost.   
"What kind of reward, Mina-chan?"  
  
"You'll see," Minako replied coyly. "I'm sure you'll like it."   
As Kenjo headed back with his renewed sense of purpose clear on   
his face for all to see, Minako flashed a triumphant smile at   
Ami.  
  
Ami thought for a moment and then returned Minako's grin with a   
sly smirk of her own. Standing up, she called, "Mako-chan, when   
you win, you'll get a prize, too!" Stunned by her own   
brazenness, Ami sat back down, sincerely hoping Makoto would win   
so she could reward her properly. True, this wasn't as an ideal   
a location or situation as Wednesday night had been, but Ami   
didn't think she could hold out much longer.  
  
Each armed with more than ample motivation, Makoto and Kenjo   
moved into the final minutes of their game with a friendly   
ferocity. Every possession was hard-fought; every point a   
struggle. Finally, there were only seconds to go. Makoto had   
just hit a basket, but there was time for one more possession.   
  
Kenjo dribbled slowly at the top of the key. "You've been   
tracking both of our scores, right?" he whispered. Makoto   
confirmed his suspicion with a grin and nod. "I have too, of   
course." She did not seem surprised. "So, we both know what   
really happened, right?" Again, Makoto nodded. "Good. I think   
we both have earned a reward." The light went on in Makoto's   
eyes as she saw where he was going with this. "I'm going to make   
this shot, and we'll have tied." She indicated her agreement and   
Kenjo drove left.   
  
"Five! Four! Three! Two! One!" Usagi shouted helpfully, watching   
the clock.  
  
Kenjo went up a split second before Makoto could, bouncing the   
ball off the backboard.  
  
"Done!" Usagi announced, just as the ball fell through the net.   
All four women leapt to their feet, clapping.   
  
Kenjo and Makoto embraced quickly, grabbed their towels from the   
floor, and dried off as they moved toward the waiting crowd. Rei   
congratulated both of them as Minako and Ami each moved to stand   
beside their respective champions.   
  
"Well?! Who won?!" Usagi demanded. Both Minako and Ami waited   
expectantly.   
  
"It was a tie," Kenjo announced sheepishly.   
  
"Well, you didn't lose, and that's good enough for me," Minako   
informed him impatiently. Ignoring the giggles from her friends,   
she spun him to face her and kissed him soundly. Some time   
later, when they parted, she wrinkled her nose. "You're totally   
sweaty and smelly, Kenjo-chan! You should go shower."   
  
Kenjo laughed, pulling the now-protesting Minako close for a   
tight hug. "I will be all cleaned up when you pick me up   
tonight, I promise."  
  
"You'd better be," Minako warned, unable to keep up the facade of   
being upset. She remained comfortably in his arms as she soaked   
in the happy and supportive expressions of her closest friends.  
  
"I guess you deserve your reward, too, Mako-chan," Ami said in a   
quiet but determined voice.   
  
Makoto stammered that she hadn't won and that Ami didn't really   
have to do anything, but Ami would have none of it. With a deep   
breath, Ami took Makoto's hands in her own and stood before her.   
As one, the others stepped away to give them a semblance of   
privacy.   
  
"There is so much you deserve, my sweet Mako-chan," Ami   
whispered, "this is just the beginning..." And as Makoto stared   
at her, stunned, hoping against hope, Ami reached up and placed   
her hands on Makoto's cheeks, pulling her face down.   
  
"I love you, Mako-chan," Ami said. Gently, she pressed her lips   
to Makoto's. Makoto's eyes closed and her head tilted slightly,   
hands sliding around Ami's waist to pull her close. Ami's hands   
ran back into Makoto's hair, releasing it from its ponytail, and   
lost themselves in its cascades. Lips parted and tongues met as   
each sought to press closer to the other, as if such a thing were   
possible.   
  
Finally, and reluctantly, Ami pulled away. The tears she felt on   
her cheeks were reflected on Makoto's face. Turning, she noticed   
that all of her friends, even Kenjo-san, were wiping their eyes.   
Suddenly, she felt Makoto's arms lock around her waist as she was   
swept up into the air and swung around in a big circle. She   
struggled to catch her breath and balance as Makoto set her down.   
  
"Sorry, I might have got a little carried away," Makoto   
sheepishly admitted.   
  
"Looks like it was Ami-chan who was getting carried," Rei pointed   
out, bringing a round of laughter from everyone.   
  
------  
  
Unnoticed by the group of young people on the court, three   
figures watched from the other corner of the gym. They waited   
while plans were made, players headed to the showers and   
spectators gathered their things to leave. Soon, everyone but   
Ami had gone, the latter clearly planning to wait for Makoto to   
return from the locker room.   
  
"It wasn't a tie," Haruka noted placidly.   
  
"No, but that's their business. I think they did the right   
thing. They're all so cute," Michiru replied. "I don't know   
enough about that young man, but I think Makoto-chan and Ami-chan   
will be very happy together."  
  
"He's all right," Haruka admitted, "Got a good jump shot anyway.   
He needs to work on his ballhandling." Hearing Michiru's   
exasperated sigh, she chuckled, "They'll be fine. We knew they   
would be." Turning to the third member of their group, she   
asked, "So, did he get that shot off on time?"  
  
Setsuna smiled cryptically. "Does it matter?" she asked.   
  
Both Haruka and Michiru laughed. "No, I guess not," Haruka said.   
Without further discussion, the three Outer senshi headed home,   
sharing in the general sense of happiness for their friends. 


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Friday morning/afternoon  
-------------  
Ami waited anxiously while Makoto showered and dressed. She   
tried not to think too deeply about that, instead focusing her   
attention on the new group of basketball players arriving on the   
court. Apparently, a women's team in one of the Sports Center   
leagues had reserved the court for practice, as about 15 tall   
young women were going through a variety of drills and shoot-  
arounds.   
  
Unconsciously, Ami found herself staring at one player in   
particular. She must have been almost 6 feet tall, with light   
brown hair, lithe and athletic. Though she was only watching the   
woman run sprints, Ami still felt a twinge of guilt. As fate   
would have it, at the precise moment that that little twinge   
brought a hint of pink to her cheeks, Makoto returned from the   
locker room. "Kenjo says that his dad told him once that you can   
always look, you just can't touch," Makoto whispered in an amused   
tone.  
  
Ami nearly jumped into the air at the sound of Mako's voice in   
her ear and the feel of her breath on her skin. "I was... it   
wasn't..." Ami stumbled to reply, as if she were a child caught   
with her hand in a cookie jar.   
  
Makoto brushed Ami's hair with her hand in a fond gesture and   
smiled reassuringly. "It's ok, Ami-chan, I'm just teasing you.   
I watch this team play quite often. They're very good, and some   
are very good looking." Makoto directed Ami's attention to one   
of the point guards, immersed in a passing drill. "Personally,   
that one is more my type," she admitted. The woman in question   
was about Ami's height with short black hair and a slender build.   
  
Blushing furiously, Ami smiled at her girlfriend, "So, you're not   
jealous?"  
  
With a gentle laugh, Makoto tousled Ami's hair and drew her away   
from the court. "Ami-chan, I'm glad you're attracted to women,   
particularly tall brunettes. How could I be jealous? She might   
have your eyes for a moment..." she began.  
  
"But you have my heart, forever," Ami finished, slipping her arm   
around Makoto's waist. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted   
some strange looks, some amused or intrigued, some disdainful, as   
they exited the Sports Center, but she didn't really care. Ami   
had never put much stock in what other people thought of her, and   
she was simply too happy to care in any case.   
  
As they exited, Makoto suggested that they could get something to   
drink at a coffee shop next door. Ami agreed and they soon found   
themselves seated at a cozy table for two in the back of the   
shop. Makoto had changed into a long brown skirt with a red,   
sleeveless blouse. A white sweater provided some protection from   
autumn's chill. Thoughts of any other woman fled from Ami's mind   
as she caught herself taking every opportunity to stare at this   
lovely creature across from her.   
  
"You're so beautiful," Ami whispered to herself. Makoto heard   
her, however, and lowered her eyes shyly.  
  
"I'm glad you think so," Makoto murmured, "I hope that I can be   
as beautiful to you as you are to me."   
  
Ami did not drop her gaze. Normally, she was quite shy and, in   
the past, any hint of romance had sent her heart aflutter and   
discombobulated her completely. With Makoto, though, she felt a   
surge of confidence and security. This was right; this was how   
things should be. True, she did blush and feel shy at times, but   
for entirely new reasons. She reached out and took Makoto's hand   
just as she had at the restaurant the night before. "As I told   
them at the game, you are the most beautiful woman in the world."  
  
Makoto thrilled to hear Ami talk like that about her. She'd   
never really considered herself beautiful. With friends as   
obviously gorgeous as Usagi, Rei, Minako, and especially Ami   
herself, Makoto had always placed herself at the back of the   
pack. A chill spread across her skin, increasing as Ami began to   
stroke her hand with her thumbs, a gesture that was becoming   
increasingly endearing to her. Ami made her feel like a   
princess. No, that wasn't quite it. Ami made her feel like a   
woman; she made her feel comfortable in herself in a way that no   
one else, even Kenjo, ever had. All of those fantasies about   
being a bride, a wife, a mother came flashing back. Though she'd   
decided previously that a life with her true love was more   
important than such ideals, Makoto now understood that she could   
still have all of those things and so much more.   
  
"Were you surprised I came to watch you play?" Ami asked gently.  
  
"Truthfully?" Makoto asked with a wary smile.  
  
"Always truthfully, my love," Ami answered.  
  
Another shiver went down Makoto's back. "Well, you kind of threw   
me off my game. Especially with Minako-chan cheering on Kenjo-  
chan like that. When I saw you, I wanted to...well, I wanted to   
impress you."   
  
"Silly Mako-chan," Ami giggled, "you don't need to impress me.   
Now, tell me, who really won?"  
  
Makoto's eyes went wide, "But, we told you, it was a tie."   
  
Ami simply raised an eyebrow, waiting for a better answer.   
  
Makoto laughed sheepishly, "I suppose I should have known better   
than to think that we could pull one over on you. If you must   
know..."  
  
Ami held up her hand, "No, on second thought, I don't want to   
know. That's between you and him. As far as I'm concerned, I   
was the big winner." She blushed slightly, recalling the feel of   
Makoto's tongue sliding across her own, the weight of Makoto's   
chest pressed against her own. "I don't suppose we have time...   
to...pick up where we left off?" Underneath the table, Ami   
slowly slid her stockinged foot across Makoto's ankle.   
  
"Ami-chan!" Makoto declared. "What's gotten into you?" She felt   
quite flush as Ami generated chills that ran up and down her legs   
to match the ones on her arms and spine. Indeed, Makoto shivered   
quite visibly.   
  
Ami's eyes smoldered as she caught Makoto's gaze, "Well, I was   
just thinking..."  
  
Makoto leaned across the table and kissed her friend on the   
forehead. "I know what you're thinking!" Loving the blush she   
got in response, Makoto continued regretfully, "I have a lunch   
date with Kenjo-chan. I need to get the goods on him and Mina-  
chan. They seemed quite cozy together, didn't you think?"  
  
Ami laughed, "Yes, and good for them. Maybe we can double date   
sometime. I'd like to get to know him better, especially since   
he's such an important part of your life." With a deep sigh,   
Ami became suddenly serious. "I don't know what I was thinking   
anyway, I have an appointment this afternoon." Ami explained   
about the visit to the psychiatrist that her mother had arranged.  
  
As Ami described her mother's reactions, not to mention the   
nature of this so-called "Quality Time", Makoto felt her ire   
rising. It took much of her strength of will to resist blowing   
up. She didn't like injustice and she especially didn't like it   
when anyone mistreated her friends. Still, Ami needed support   
and Makoto suspected that if she got mad, Ami might respond by   
trying to defend her mother. She certainly didn't want Ami in   
that frame of mind. Instead, she tried in vain to think of an   
alternate solution to the immediate problem.  
  
"You could just go and say the kind of things that people like   
that want to hear," Makoto suggested half-heartedly.  
  
"We both know that won't work," Ami replied softly, "and that's   
not the problem. I have to deal with my mother eventually. I   
might as well do it today. There's no sense in putting it off."  
  
Makoto squeezed Ami's hands and gave her a supportive smile.   
"You can do it, Ami-chan. You're one of the strongest people I   
know." Seeing that Ami was on the right track set her mind at   
ease immensely.   
  
With a skeptical snicker, Ami corrected her, "You are the strong   
one. It's your job to protect me, after all. I wish you could   
this time, but I don't think you can." The serious expression on   
Makoto's face made her pause.  
  
"You are a strong woman, Mizuno Ami. Don't you dare imply   
otherwise. That's my girlfriend you're disparaging and I won't   
just sit here and let you do it!"  
  
Makoto's earnest expression, the love and pride in her eyes, the   
determined set of her jaw, overwhelmed Ami. She couldn't   
remember ever feeling so loved, so safe. The only occasions that   
even came close were those few times when she and the other   
senshi had joined their powers as one. "I'm sorry, Mako-chan, I   
won't do it again," she promised meekly.  
  
Makoto grunted, "Damn right you won't, or I'll have to punish   
you."   
  
"In the name of the moon?" Ami prompted sweetly.  
  
"In the name of _me_," Makoto replied with a fierce grin. All of   
her seriousness faded in an instant as she reached forward to   
caress Ami's cheek. "You handle her, and when you're done, come   
home. I'll have a nice dinner waiting for you, among other   
things." She winked at Ami saucily.   
  
"Having that to look forward to should be all the incentive I   
need to resolve things," Ami declared. "What would I ever do   
without you, my dear Mako-chan?"  
  
"How about we never find out?" Makoto suggested. "Now, you have   
an appointment to keep, and not with some headshrinker, and I   
have a lunch date."  
  
"Do you think he'll tell you what's going on with Mina-chan?" Ami   
inquired. She was immensely curious to know. The fact that   
Minako and Kenjo seemed to be finding each other at the same time   
that she and Makoto were had not been lost on Ami. She was   
anxious to compare notes with Minako and to find out how far   
they'd gone. That idea opened up other lines of thought that   
threatened to raise Ami's pulse rate too quickly, so she tried to   
drop it. In passing she wondered why she was so.... well, as   
crude as it sounded, she had to be honest with herself... why she   
was so randy all the time lately!   
  
Makoto nodded, "Oh, he'll tell me, if only because he'll want to   
know all the juicy details about you and I."   
  
"Do you really talk about such things with him?" Ami asked.  
  
"We always have," Makoto admitted, "but if you'd rather I didn't   
tell him anything, I won't. There will always be things we don't   
share, details about things at least, mostly because neither of   
us really wants to know that much."  
  
Ami shook her head, "No, please don't change your friendship to   
suit me. I trust you completely, Mako-chan." The weight of that   
statement hit Ami, so she repeated it more carefully to make sure   
they both understood. "I trust you completely."  
  
Again, Makoto dropped her eyes shyly. "I trust you too, Ami-  
chan." They sat together, silently holding hands, letting the   
comforting depth of their love envelop them both. Finally,   
Makoto realized they could no longer linger in the moment.   
Unfinished business stood between them and this evening, and   
nothing could be allowed to stand between the two of them any   
longer. "I should get going, and you should too." She rose and   
drew Ami with her out of the shop. On the sidewalk, she gave Ami   
a warm hug. "Till tonight?"  
  
"Till tonight," Ami agreed. Unsatisfied with a simple hug, as   
scrumptious as it was, Ami pulled Makoto down in a torrid, if all   
too brief, kiss. "Tonight," she said again with firm resolve.   
  
Makoto felt her knees go weak in the face of the desire flaring   
behind Ami's eyes. She could sense her own longings responding   
in kind. With a firm shake of her head, she marshaled her   
willpower and headed away with a wave and a knowing smile.   
  
Ami watched her go with some regret but also renewed purpose.   
She knew would need all of that energy to deal with Mom, but for   
the first time she felt certain that she'd be able to do it.   
  
---------------------  
Walking in a daze, Makoto found her way home. So many happy   
thoughts floated through her mind that she found it hard to focus   
on any one in particular. Ami loved her. Ami had kissed her.   
Ami was coming over tonight. Ami was her girlfriend. She was   
Ami's girlfriend. Two of her very best friends seemed to be   
falling in love. Ami thought she was beautiful. Ami wanted her,   
maybe almost as much as she wanted Ami.   
  
Her mind darting between these and other images, Makoto unloaded   
her gym bag and took care of a few chores around the house.   
She'd have time after lunch to clean more thoroughly, though   
truthfully, her place never got very dirty or disordered to begin   
with. She needed to come up with a new idea, though. Years of   
fantasizing about the ideal romantic dinner with the man of her   
dreams (ok, so some things had changed) had resulted in the   
candles last Wednesday. She'd never really bothered to think   
about how to prepare for a second romantic dinner. It had always   
seemed like one would be enough.   
  
'We could eat Chinese take-out from little white paper boxes   
over the sink and it would still be the most romantic dinner of   
my life,' Makoto decided. Inspiration would come. Perhaps Kenjo   
would have some ideas. For a guy, he could be quite romantic.   
It was one of the reasons she'd known that he and Minako would   
hit it off so well. For all of her spunky, take-charge attitude,   
Makoto knew that Minako had a very romantic soul. Perhaps that   
came with the job, she considered since, upon reflection, all of   
the senshi did, even the Outers.   
  
A few moments later, the doorbell rang and Makoto went to let   
Kenjo in. He stood in the foyer, looking around while she got   
her sweater. "Your place looks as great as ever, Mako-chan."  
  
"Thanks! Take a good look, I might need your decorating advice   
later," Makoto requested.   
  
"Thinking of rearranging the furniture or painting?"  
  
"No, nothing major, just something romantic for tonight," Makoto   
replied with a broad grin.   
  
They stepped into the hall and headed for the elevator.   
"So, you and Ami-san are having dinner together?"  
  
Makoto nodded, "Yep, but we can talk about all of that later.   
First, I want all the dirt on you and Mina-chan!"   
  
Laughing, Kenjo agreed. "Ok, I promised to tell all when we got   
together today. Besides, I know you can't wait to tell me, so   
we'll see how long you can hold out. Is she a better kisser than   
me?"  
  
Makoto punched him hard on the arm. "You jerk, you and I only   
kissed a couple times and it was a long time ago. Yes, she is,   
but I'm sure you've gotten better over the years. The way Mina-  
chan couldn't wait to get at you would indicate that you have."  
  
Kenjo rubbed his arm, smiling shyly. "She's really great, Mako-  
chan. Everything you said, and so much more. I'm kinda   
worried."  
  
"Worried?" Makoto asked as they hit the street. She decided to   
lead him to a nice place not too far away. The food wasn't the   
best in the city, but it was good enough and the set up was   
perfect to allow for long conversations.   
  
The normal tone of jest and banter that characterized their   
conversations was gone when Kenjo replied. "I think I could fall   
for her, Mako-chan. Hard."  
  
Makoto hugged herself to his arm as they walked. "If you think   
you could, it probably means you already have."  
  
Kenjo chuckled. "I guess. I mean, we've only seen each other   
twice, well three times counting today. Two and a half. There's   
just something about her."  
  
"You remember who she is, don't you?" Makoto asked slyly.  
  
After a moment's hesitation, Kenjo answered, "The Senshi of Love,   
I know. She doesn't know that I know, of course." He laughed   
suddenly, "How can I stand up against that?"  
  
"Do you really mind?" Makoto skeptically pointed out.  
  
"No, not really," he admitted. For the rest of their walk, he   
related the events of their two dates. Makoto asked which songs   
Minako had chosen, smiling knowingly to herself as he told her.   
When he got to the end of their second date, they had arrived and   
been seated at the restaurant. After ordering, he finished his   
story.  
  
"So, she pulled me along behind her to this little playground and   
sat down on one of the swings," Kenjo related.  
  
Makoto grinned, "She's always sitting on those things. It's   
where she goes when she has some serious thinking to do. Artemis   
told me once that if we ever needed to find her, if we were   
worried about her, we should look there first."  
  
"Artemis?"  
  
"Her talking cat," Makoto whispered, realizing how odd that   
sounded, though it was the most normal thing in the world to her   
now.   
  
She'd told him about Luna at one point, so Kenjo was not too   
surprised, though he wasn't sure what he thought about having a   
girlfriend with a talking (male) cat. He decided not to worry   
about it, at least not until he met the cat.  
  
"So, anyway, I pushed her on the swings a bit and then I helped   
her up..."  
  
"And?" Makoto encouraged him to continue, sensing that he was   
getting to the good parts.  
  
"And I took her in my arms and I kissed her," Kenjo concluded.  
  
Makoto beamed at him. "I'm so happy for you, Kenjo-chan. I just   
knew that the two of you would hit it off."  
  
"Yeah, but now I have to leave for the rest of the semester," he   
lamented.   
  
"Oh grow up, it's only a month or so and you've certainly gone   
longer with out getting any!" Makoto teased. "Besides, you've   
heard of email and phones, right?"  
  
Kenjo gave her a nasty look, but they both knew he didn't mean   
it. "Ok, enough about me, what's this with you and Ami-san?"  
  
"Ami-san?" Makoto raised an eyebrow questioningly.  
  
"Well, I know I don't really know her, but she is dating one of   
my best friends, and I guess I'm dating one of hers, so..."  
  
"Oh, I'm just teasing. She certainly wouldn't mind. And don't   
you act so surprised. I understand that you've been up to things   
this week."  
  
Kenjo eventually admitted what had initially lain behind his   
desire to have dinner with Minako, telling his friend about what   
he'd noticed, and why, and how he'd tried to help. As he   
explained, Makoto was taken aback by how very much he wanted her   
to be happy, how very much he and all of her friends loved her.   
  
"I'm not really sorry I did what I did, and it wasn't like I was   
betraying a confidence, since I knew before you," Kenjo pointed   
out as Makoto rolled her eyes (she'd seen that coming!).   
"Anyway, I think that it might have helped. I understand that   
guy Urawa tried to cause some trouble."  
  
"Did cause some trouble," Makoto sighed. She told him all about   
what Urawa had done and how Ami's mom had reacted. "Right about   
now she's supposed to be seeing this doctor."  
  
"She's not going to, is she?"   
  
"No, I think she's going to talk to her mom and try to sort   
things out. I don't know what she'll say, but I know she'll do   
it. She certainly took care of Urawa, though I'm not exactly   
sure what she said to him. I guess I'll find out tonight."  
  
Kenjo gave her a provocative look, "So, tonight huh? And what   
exactly do you plan to do with your new girlfriend tonight?"   
  
"Nothing like that, no more than you're planning to take Mina-  
chan to some seedy hotel room!" Makoto retorted.  
  
"Point taken," Kenjo conceded. "No reason to rush things,   
especially when kissing is so much fun all by itself." His eyes   
drifted off momentarily as he recalled the scent of Minako's hair   
and the playful way she nipped his lower lip when he tried to   
break a kiss.   
  
Makoto didn't notice Kenjo's distraction, since she was lost in   
her own wonderland remembering the feel of Ami's toe on her ankle   
and the look in her eyes. 'I can't believe it was her,' she   
muttered.  
  
"What can't you believe, Mako-chan?" Kenjo asked. Makoto   
grimaced as she realized she'd said that out loud. Well, maybe   
he would have some insight, she decided.  
  
"I thought I knew Ami-chan better than anyone. I still think I   
do, but she's been...it's hard to explain."  
  
"She was your friend, now she's your girlfriend," Kenjo   
theorized. "Wouldn't you expect her to act differently?"  
  
"Of course, but, well..." Makoto took a deep breath. "I never   
suspected she'd be so passionate, in public anyway! I think if   
I'd agreed, she would have dragged me into an alley and ravished   
me this morning."  
  
Kenjo laughed, then stopped when he saw that she was serious.   
Thinking about it, and what little he knew about Ami, he asked,   
"Mako-chan, has she ever had a boyfriend? You know, a real   
boyfriend?"   
  
Makoto replied quickly, "No, not really. I don't think she ever   
did anything but spend time with Urawa. I doubt she even ever   
kissed him." As she said it, it came to her.   
  
Kenjo realized it as well. "Mako-chan, that probably means that   
today was...."  
  
"Her first kiss?" Makoto concluded. "Her first real kiss, ever."   
The weight of that settled onto her.   
  
"More than that, Mako-chan," Kenjo went on, "she's twenty years   
old and for all this time, through the entirety of her raging-  
hormone teenage years, she's kept that side of her bottled up   
completely. Now, she's in a place where it's safe for her to   
finally explore that part of herself... difficult territory for   
you, I'd say."  
  
'She's probably never even...' Makoto thought, blushing at   
memories of her own 'individual experiences' and thoughts of Ami   
doing similar things. She looked up at Kenjo with a mix of   
horror and amazement. "The poor sweet girl!"  
  
Knowing he was surfing dangerous waters, Kenjo did not reply but   
waited patiently for Makoto to sort things out.   
  
"I think tonight might be a little more complicated than I   
thought," Makoto realized. "I remember my first time alone with   
my old sempai. Once he got me revved up, it was all I could do   
to stop myself before taking things way beyond a point I would   
have been comfortable with the next day."   
  
"It gets easier, with experience, but she doesn't have any,"   
Kenjo added. "She's also not a hormone-addled teenager, so that   
will make things easier on both of you. Just take it slow and   
you'll both be fine."  
  
Makoto nodded. She could imagine what it might have been like if   
she'd allowed her own desires to overwhelm her. As wonderful as   
it would be to take Ami to her bed and make love to her all   
night, she knew that Ami couldn't be ready for that, after only   
having kissed anyone once or twice. Truthfully, it was new   
territory for her as well. Though Makoto was no virgin, she'd   
never been with a woman and, though she could imagine (and had!)   
how things might progress, she would also be feeling her way at   
first. The unintended pun brought a blush to her face.  
  
"Just remember, my friend," Kenjo advised, "the important thing   
is that you love each other."   
  
Makoto grinned, feeling more at ease. She felt quite thankful   
that she'd kept her lunch date for a variety of reasons now.   
  
"Well, I should go home and get my stuff together. I need to   
pack up for the trip back and Minako will be picking me up in a   
couple hours." Kenjo grinned. "She's walking me to the train   
station to see me off."  
  
"She's almost as much of a sappy romantic as you are," Makoto   
noted. "Email me or call me when you get back to school. More   
importantly, email _and_ call her."  
  
"As if I could help myself. Don't they have a winter formal just   
after exams at her school? Maybe she'll invite me," Kenjo hoped.  
  
"And maybe Ami will invite me and we can double-date! She said   
she wants to get to know you better."  
  
"I'd like that, too," Kenjo agreed. He pulled out his wallet and   
took care of the check while Makoto pulled on her sweater.   
  
"I thought we tied," she asked sarcastically.  
  
Kenjo replied by flipping her the bird. "Next time, Mako-chan...   
next time." Makoto simply laughed. After a farewell embrace and   
appropriate words, they parted, sorry to say goodbye but looking   
forward to what the evening would bring. 


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Saturday afternoon  
-----------------  
  
It was the best of walks; it was the worst of walks. The elation   
that Ami had felt upon leaving Makoto buoyed her steps for most   
of the way home. Eventually, though, the weight of what faced   
her drained away most of that joy. Over the past day or so,   
she'd imagined a hundred different ways this conversation could   
go. In very few of those scenarios had she emerged unscathed.   
Ami tried in vain, as she approached her condo building, to   
recall the last time she'd had a significant argument with her   
mother. True, there had been some words exchanged concerning her   
schedule earlier this year, but even that couldn't rightly be   
called a 'fight'. At best, it had been a 'heated debate.'   
  
'Is it strange that I can't recall ever really fighting with my   
mother?' Ami wondered. She knew that her friends fought with   
their parents. Rei's squabbles with her grandfather had been   
legendary, but even a year or two removed from his death, Ami   
knew that Rei still mourned him deeply. Usagi's mother yelled at   
her constantly about her grades, and her father's views on her   
dating such an older boy were well-established, but they remained   
very close to one another, even with Usagi now living at school.   
Ami knew from her psychology classes that the open airing of   
disagreements and conflict led to much healthier relationships.   
Odd that she'd never applied that factoid to her own life.   
  
All in all, Ami had a great deal of respect for her mother. She   
knew it could not have been easy to raise a daughter alone,   
especially while maintaining a profession as demanding as   
'doctor.' She knew her mother was a very well-respected member   
of the Tokyo medical community. For as long as she could   
remember, Ami had simply assumed that she wanted to follow in her   
mother's footsteps. So, why was she questioning this now? When   
she was perfectly honest with herself, Ami realized that there   
were other things she enjoyed much more than her pre-med classes.   
Oh, those classes were interesting, of course. Ami had always   
loved science, but she also loved math and history and   
literature. What she got the most satisfaction from, however,   
was helping teach and tutor her friends.   
  
Her arrival home interrupted Ami's train of thought. After a   
brief pause to clear her mind and gather her wits, Ami entered   
the elevator. She used the journey between floors to remind   
herself of why she was doing this. The feel of Makoto, her   
taste, her scent, the sound of her voice, the vision of her   
waving goodbye, all lingered and gave Ami strength and added   
resolve.   
  
'I am twenty years old. I have fought evil and saved the world   
times too numerous to count. I have been to the other side and   
back on at least two occasions. I can deal with my mother!' she   
reminded herself. Hoping she'd find her mother home (how anti-  
climatic would it have been if her mother had been at work   
instead of at home!), Ami went inside.  
  
"Mother, are you home?" she called, slipping her boots off and   
placing them neatly in the cubby by the door.   
  
"Ami? Is that you?" her mother responded from the study. Soon,   
she emerged with a medical journal in one hand and her reading   
glasses in the other. "Ami, did you forget that you have an   
appointment at 1:00? You'll be late."  
  
Taking a deep breath, Ami moved to the living room and took a   
seat on the couch, folding her hands neatly on her lap. "I   
cancelled the appointment, mother."  
  
Dr. Mizuno lifted one eyebrow and calmly laid her book and   
glasses on a small table. Eyes focused on her daughter, she   
glided to the chair opposite the couch and sat down. "Ami, do I   
understand you to mean that you took it upon yourself to cancel   
an appointment that I set up for you? An appointment for which I   
had to pull many strings? I trust you have a good   
explanation..."  
  
"I don't need to see a psychiatrist, mother," Ami explained   
quietly.   
  
"I don't believe that that was for you to decide," Dr. Mizuno   
replied, her voice raising slightly. "I understand that you are   
entering a difficult period in a young woman's life. Therefore,   
you cannot expect to know when you might or might not need   
assistance navigating the turbulent waters around you. It is my   
job, as your mother..."  
  
"It is your job as my mother to listen to me for once!" Ami   
shouted. Dr. Mizuno went pale and shrank back into her chair,   
scowling in frustrated confusion.   
  
"Did it ever occur to ask me about whatever it is you think I am   
going through? Did it ever occur to you that maybe, instead of   
sending me to some doctor, that perhaps you could come to me   
directly?" Ami went on. She could feel the years of pent-up   
emotion bubbling to the surface and she struggled to maintain   
control, afraid of what she might say or do if she let it all out   
at once.   
  
Dr. Mizuno gathered herself and sat up rigidly. "Ami, this is no   
way to speak to your mother. You know that, as your mother, I am   
your best friend and, therefore, you can come to me with any   
difficulties. I assumed..."  
  
"You assumed that I am having difficulties in the first place,"   
Ami retorted, trying to moderate her tone. "I am not having any   
problems, mother. I do not need counseling for any reason."  
  
"Are you going to deny that you have been getting involved in   
an...atypical... way with this Kino Makoto person?"   
  
"What if I were, mother? Surely, as a doctor, you must   
understand that there is nothing inherently wrong or unnatural   
about such things," Ami pleaded.  
  
"That is not the point, young lady! Don't you dare presume to   
lecture me about what I should or should not know!" Now it was   
Dr. Mizuno's turn to lose her temper. "I have turned a blind eye   
to the amount of time you have spent with that girl and your   
other friends, time that could have been better spent   
accelerating your studies or participating in more   
extracurricular activities. Even though I had my concerns about   
the impact this would have on your future, I acquiesced because   
of my great love for you and this is the result!"  
  
"You allowed me to have friends?" Ami sputtered disbelievingly.   
"How dare you!"  
  
"Mizuno Ami! You are stepping over the line! I am your mother   
and I will be respected and obeyed. You have a brilliant future   
ahead of you and I will not see it thrown away in a wash of   
teenage lust and short-sightedness."  
  
"In case you haven't noticed, mother," Ami replied in a cold   
tone, "I am twenty years old and thus no longer a teenager. My   
relationship, no matter what form it takes, with Kino Makoto or   
anyone else is my concern and not yours."  
  
"No, young lady, you forget yourself. You live under my roof. I   
pay for your clothes, your food, your schooling. I gave birth to   
you and thus your life is always my concern." Dr. Mizuno declared   
firmly.  
  
Ami paused. This was not going well. Anger would only beget   
anger and nothing good could come of that. Hard as it was to   
remember, Ami did know that her mother loved her and wanted the   
best for her. She just had a horrible way of expressing those   
feelings.   
  
"Mother, exactly what is the nature of your concern?" Ami asked   
in as polite a way as she could manage.  
  
"As always," Dr. Mizuno answered, somewhat smug in her assumption   
that she had prevailed, "my concern is your future."  
  
"And what is that future, mother?"  
  
"You have a brilliant mind and you have it in you to become the   
premier medical practitioner in the Pacific Rim. That is the   
goal to which you have been pointed since your childhood and I   
will not see it thwarted now that you are so close."  
  
"But mother, did you ever ask me what I wanted to do with my   
life?"   
  
"Of course. Being a doctor was entirely your idea," Dr. Mizuno   
declared.  
  
"When I was eight years old. Things change. People change." As   
she spoke, Ami could feel a great weight rising from her chest, a   
weight that had been in place so long, she had never even   
realized it was there until it was gone.   
  
"What are you implying?" Dr. Mizuno asked, stunned at what she   
was hearing. What had this Kino girl done to her daughter?  
  
"Mother, I don't want to be a doctor. While I am interested in   
medicine, there is something else I enjoy more, something else I   
think I could excel in and contribute to society in." It was all   
so clear now. How could Ami have missed this for so long.   
  
"And what, may I ask, is this wonderful alternative to medicine?"   
Dr. Mizuno's voice dripped with sarcasm.  
  
"I want to be a teacher," Ami told her simply.  
  
Dr. Mizuno barked a short laugh. "A teacher?! Do you have any   
idea what kind of paltry salary teachers make?"  
  
Ami looked appalled, so much so that Dr. Mizuno actually felt a   
surge of remorse at what she'd said. "I can't believe you would   
say such a thing. How could you disparage something like   
teaching?"  
  
"Oh Ami, that may have been a bit unfair of me, but seriously,   
you have such a wonderful mind. Can't you see that that would be   
a waste of your talent?"  
  
"I fail to understand how teaching would be a waste of my   
talents," Ami stated pointedly.   
  
"It's that Kino girl, isn't it? She's twisted your mind against   
me and put these ideas into your head." Dr. Mizuno surmised.  
  
"No, mother," Ami said, her anger dissipating rapidly. Despite   
the lengthy 'QT' reports, it was clear to her that her mother had   
entirely lost touch with her life, and Ami was willing to take   
some share of blame for that. "None of this has anything to do   
with her. I think I've known for some time that I preferred   
teaching. I am sorry to disappoint you, but it is my life and I   
think it is time I started living it for me, not for you."  
  
"What do you mean by that!" Dr. Mizuno shouted, enraged by the   
calm pity which she saw on her daughter's face. "How dare you   
imply that I am trying to live your life for you! I am simply   
watching out for your best interests, like any mother should."  
  
"So, if I told you that I loved Kino Makoto, that I don't care   
what society thinks about such things, that she loves me and   
treats me well and that I am incredibly happy with her, then you   
would be happy for me?"  
  
Dr. Mizuno fell back into her chair, stunned by this and unable   
to formulate a response. "You can't be serious."  
  
"But I am, mother. I've never been more serious about anything   
in my life. I love her. And she loves me. I hope you can be   
happy for me, but nothing you can say or do will change those   
facts."  
  
Dr. Mizuno paused before responding. This was almost too much to   
handle, all at once, but while she was not quite the genius her   
daughter was, she was certainly not stupid. She could process   
things quickly when necessary. Clearly, there had been some sort   
of disconnect between her and her daughter. The Ami she knew   
wanted to be a doctor, not a teacher. The Ami she knew was   
certainly not a lesbian. But, as she considered the matter, the   
Ami she knew had never really expressed any interest in boys   
either. Apparently, the Ami she knew was not the Ami sitting   
before her. How could such a thing have happened? True, she did   
spend a lot of time working, a lot of time away from home. Dr.   
Mizuno tried to remember the last time she and her daughter had   
spent some time together, other than their scheduled quality   
time. When she found herself unable to recall, she felt as if   
someone had stabbed her in the stomach.   
  
"I'm sorry, mother," Ami said gently, seeing the confusion and   
pain on her mother's face. "I know this is a lot to deal with   
all at once. I think we both have found it too easy to see what   
we wanted to see, instead of trying to see things for how they   
are."   
  
Dr. Mizuno nodded tentatively, still unsure of how to respond to   
all of this. Despite the growing sense that perhaps she'd made   
some mistakes in her parenting techniques, she still remained   
concerned about the paths her daughter's life was taking. Young   
love could be quite blinding and, smart as she was, Ami could not   
fully comprehend the full ramifications behind her choice of   
lifestyle, or career for that matter. Thinking back to her own   
youth, though, she realized that, more than anything, the main   
driving force in her relationship with Ami's father had been her   
own parents' attempt to forbid it.   
  
"I cannot say that I am happy with these things, Ami," Dr. Mizuno   
admitted finally. "I am ready to concede that perhaps I have not   
spent the kind of time I should have as part of your life.   
However, that does not mean that I approve of these decisions you   
seem so intent on making. You are right about one thing,   
though."  
  
Ami blinked back some tears. Now that the anger had passed, the   
torrent of released emotions had shifted to sadness. While a   
part of her was proud of the way she'd stood up to her mother,   
there remained a small piece of her who wanted nothing more than   
to crawl up into her mommy's arms and be told that everything   
would be all right.   
  
"I cannot live your life for you and I cannot prevent you from   
making choices, or mistakes," Dr. Mizuno continued. "I would   
request that you continue to keep your academic options open, by   
taking both pre-med and education courses. I will understand if   
you wish to curtail your computer studies and other activities to   
allow for such a course load. I am also going to reserve   
judgment about the other matter." She sighed deeply. "I know all   
too well that I cannot prevent you from seeing her, nor change   
your feelings for her simply by lecturing you. I hope you will   
consider thoroughly just exactly what such a relationship means,   
for both of you, before you become too attached." 'At least she   
won't get pregnant,' Dr. Mizuno rationalized, trying to find some   
good in all of this.   
  
Ami smiled and hesitantly stood up, shuffling forward toward her   
mother. Ami had never seen her mother looking so very tired,   
hunched over with her eyes closed. To Ami's amazement, she saw   
her mother's hands rise to the sides of her head, a gesture she   
herself got teased about incessantly by her friends.   
  
Dr. Mizuno opened her eyes as Ami knelt down before her. Her   
daughter suddenly looked so old, so mature, but behind her look   
of concern Dr. Mizuno could still see the baby uncertainly   
wobbling on two feet for the first time, the toddler proudly   
demonstrating how she could now put on her shirt all by herself,   
the young girl excitedly relating the events of her first day at   
school or crying because someone had called her names at lunch.   
Gently, Ami laid her head in her mother's lap and Dr. Mizuno   
placed her hands around her daughter's shoulders.   
  
"I love you, mom," Ami whispered.   
  
"I love you too, Ami," Dr. Mizuno replied.   
--------------------- 


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Saturday evening  
---------------------  
  
Minako glanced down at the piece of paper one last time as she   
walked along. Kenjo's directions had been quite clear with lots   
of landmarks noted, so she had little doubt that she was in the   
right place. As he'd promised, it had not been a long walk from   
the bus stop. Looking up, she followed the line of numbers,   
counting homes, until she found his, and sure enough, he was   
standing outside with a couple of bags. She was amazed by the   
joy that came from such a simple thing as the sight of him   
waiting for her. The sudden lurch in her tummy warned her of   
just how much she regretted that he had to go back to school so   
soon. 'It will only be a few weeks, and then he'll be home   
again,' she reminded herself.   
  
"Right on time, Mina-chan," Kenjo congratulated her as she   
approached. "Did you have any trouble finding the place?"  
  
"No, no trouble," she informed him. "Been waiting long?"  
  
"Not really." For some reason, Kenjo suddenly felt shy, almost   
afraid to meet her gaze.   
  
"So, I don't get to meet your parents?" Minako asked laughingly.   
"I hope you're not ashamed of me."  
  
"It's a little early yet for parent-meeting, don't you think?"   
Kenjo replied, slowly feeling more at ease. He marveled at her   
ability to continually make him smile.   
  
"I suppose," Minako admitted, "though 'early' assumes that there   
will be a 'later', doesn't it?" Though her tone was teasing, her   
expression was anything but. Rei had once told her that you   
don't fall in love at first sight, that love grows over time.   
Minako knew that it was indeed much too early to talk about love,   
but at the same time, she'd never felt like this about anyone.   
Even though they had known each other less than a week, only   
dated twice, she could sense a connection with him. The depth   
and strength of that connection, at least the potential of it,   
was awe-inspiring, in both the good and frightening senses of the   
term.   
  
Kenjo heard the jest in her voice, but could see the seriousness   
in her eyes. "Not an assumption, I hope," he said quietly. "I   
don't know where this is going, but I can't wait to find out."  
  
For a moment, Minako lost herself in his eyes. He was everything   
she'd ever wanted in a man: caring, intelligent, loving,   
handsome, respectful, strong. Now that he stood before her,   
the love... no, not love, not this soon... the emotion clear in   
his expression, she wondered if she was ready for something like   
this.   
  
"Well, I do know where this is going in one sense," Kenjo said,   
picking up his bags, "and that is to the train station." Though   
he'd purposely broken the mood, he smiled at her warmly, hoping   
she'd understand that he knew what she was thinking, and that he   
was thinking the same things as well.   
  
"Here, let me take one of those," Minako offered. Clearly, if he   
carried both bags, he wouldn't have an arm free, and Mina found   
that unacceptable. Taking the smaller bag and draping it over   
her shoulder, she laced her other arm around his as they headed   
off to the train station. As always, the feel of his hand in   
hers made sparks fly.   
------------------------  
  
"We're here! Are you ready to go?!!!!"   
  
Usagi's voice echoed throughout the shrine. Naru covered her   
ears to spare herself the headache. She'd almost forgotten the   
decibel levels, not to mention the pitch, which Usagi could   
produce.   
  
Soon enough, a surly looking Hino Rei stepped out of the building   
and down the steps to meet them. "You don't have to scream all   
the time, you know!"  
  
Naru caught her breath. It had been quite dark in the shrine the   
other night, so she hadn't been able to see Rei very well. 'I'd   
forgotten how beautiful she is,' she realized. Strangely, Naru   
did not feel the twinge of jealousy or regret she would normally   
expect upon seeing such a stunningly attractive young woman. She   
felt something though, but before she could pin it down, Usagi   
was dragging her forward.  
  
"Rei, we're going shopping, not out dancing! What's with the   
outfit?" Usagi complained. Usagi had worn a blue flannel shirt   
and jeans, anticipating that she'd be trying on lots of outfits   
and doing quite a bit of walking.  
  
For her part, Naru had dressed in a fuzzy white sweater and brown   
wool skirt. Her mom had told her when she was younger that she   
was an 'autumn' and should wear earth tones, so most of her   
clothes fit that pattern. She'd been happily surprised when   
Usagi had called her last night to ask if she wanted to go out   
shopping. True, her friend had mentioned something like that   
the other day, but Naru hadn't expected her to follow up on it so   
soon. She was even more startled to hear that Rei was coming   
along.   
  
Rei stuck her tongue out at Usagi and then greeted Naru with a   
warm smile. "It's good to see you again so soon, Naru-san," Rei   
said politely. Naru lowered her head and murmured her agreement.  
  
"Oh, that's enough of that!" Usagi declared. "I love you both   
and you both love me, so that means, by the Transitive Theory,   
that you love each other. None of this formality!" Neither Rei   
nor Naru had the heart to criticize Usagi's mangling of   
mathematical logic, especially since she seemed so very proud of   
herself.   
  
"Fine, meatball head," Rei agreed. "Have it your way. Is that ok   
with you?" she asked Naru.  
  
"Hai, Rei-chan," Naru blushed. For the first time in a long   
time, she really felt like she belonged. After high school,   
she'd been so busy learning her mother's trade that she'd lost   
touch with most of her friends. After Umino had dumped her, it   
felt like she had no one. That had been the main reason she'd   
tracked down Usagi. Naru still didn't completely understand why   
she'd gone to the Hikawa Shrine, but she was glad she had.   
  
"You still haven't explained that outfit!" Usagi reminded Rei.  
  
Rei looked up, startled. She'd almost forgotten Usagi was there.   
'That's a strange thing,' she thought. 'Normally, I can't take my   
eyes off of her.' Rei examined herself quickly. She wore a   
casual red dress, tight but not clingy, that showed off her   
curves nicely. Black nylons underneath matched the black sweater   
draped over her shoulders for warmth. Rei didn't really know   
what had possessed her to wear something like this for a night of   
shopping, but it had just seemed right.   
  
"I think it's a beautiful dress, Rei-chan," Naru offered   
tentatively. "It's nice to get a little dressed up once in   
awhile, isn't it?"  
  
Rei nodded, moving to stand next to Naru. "Yes it is, Naru-chan!"   
She stuck her tongue out at Usagi petulantly, placing her arm on   
Naru's shoulders to emphasize their anti-Usagi solidarity.  
  
Usagi pouted in her inimitable way. "Naru-chan! Don't team up   
with her! She's always so mean to me!" Even through the feigned   
tears, however, ideas were forming in Usagi's mind, plots and   
schemes, directed, as always, to making her friends happy despite   
themselves. Fortunately, neither Rei nor Naru noticed the   
dangerous twinkle in her eyes.   
  
"Enough of your crying, meatball head, let's get shopping!"  
-----------------  
  
Makoto waited as patiently as she could. Of course, she had no   
idea what time to expect Ami. Depending on how things went with   
her mother, it could have been anywhere between early afternoon   
and never. 'No, not never,' Makoto admitted to herself, 'Ami   
said she would come, so she will.' She could still hear the   
words echoing in her mind, "I trust you completely." Makoto knew   
that she trusted Ami completely, too.   
  
After spending a great deal of time trying to come up with a   
setting as romantic as the candles had been, Makoto had finally   
given up. Instead, she had thought long and hard about Ami,   
about what Ami would want, what would make her happiest, and then   
the answer had come to her. Everything was now ready.  
  
The sound of keys scraping at the door made Makoto's heart jump.   
'She's here!' she had time to think, before the door finally   
opened.   
  
Ami stepped inside tentatively. After the conversation with her   
mother, they had both been quite drained. Each had realized that   
they needed some time apart to process what had been said, so   
Ami's mother had excused herself soon after. Ami had just lain   
on the couch for a good while, gathering up enough strength to   
leave the building. In the end, it had been the thought of what   
was waiting for her, who was waiting for her, that had gotten her   
up and moving.   
  
Taking off her boots, she almost called out, asking if it was ok   
that she had let herself in. Ami caught herself, however, and   
instead simply announced, "I'm home."  
  
Makoto approached and took Ami's jacket, hanging it nearby.   
"Welcome home." Taking Ami's hand with a mysterious smile, she   
led her to the sitting area and sat her down in the easy chair.   
She had dreamed for so many years about how it would be when the   
time came, but the reality was even better than the fantasy had   
been. As Ami looked at her questioningly, Makoto brought forward   
a tray with a steaming cup of coffee and a homemade cookie on it.   
Setting the tray next to Ami, she stepped behind her and gently   
began to rub her shoulders. "Welcome home, Ami."  
  
"Oh Mako," Ami sighed, closing her eyes in ecstasy. All of the   
tension from earlier dissipated under Makoto's firm fingers.   
Warmth spread throughout her whole body, only in part from the   
coffee. Ami sipped from the mug and nibbled on the cookie,   
allowing herself to enjoy the sensation of being cared for.   
  
Loosening the knots under Ami's skin with practiced hands, Makoto   
basked in the glow of domesticity that she had created, that she   
had always craved. This was home, this was family, this was   
love. The feelings overwhelmed her. She knelt down, wrapping   
her arms around Ami from behind and laying her head gently on a   
soft pillow of blue hair. Ami set down the mug and reached back   
to embrace her girlfriend as best she could. Words whispered   
above her ear sent chills down her spine. "I love you,   
Ami."  
  
Ami laid her head straight back so that she could look up into   
Makoto's eyes. "I love you, too, my sweet Mako. Only you   
could see into my dreams and make them come true like this."  
  
Makoto placed a gentle kiss on Ami's forehead and then stood   
slowly. Moving to stand in front of the chair, she extended a   
hand to Ami. "I believe you owe me a dance, Miss Mizuno."  
  
"Among other things," Ami replied with a steamy smile.   
  
Makoto laughed fondly, "All in good time, my love, all in good   
time. We have the rest of our lives." Both young women paused   
to let the full impact of that notion sink in. They knew, of   
course, that they would have extended life spans serving Crystal   
Tokyo and Neo-Queen Serenity. What formerly had loomed as years   
of service and duty now radiated with the prospect of a life and   
a love shared across the eons.   
  
"Do you think," Ami asked uncertainly, "that we were together   
like this during the Silver Millennium?" Though many of those   
past memories had surfaced from time to time, most of it remained   
quite fuzzy and indistinct.   
  
Sliding her arms around Ami's waist, Makoto sighed "It feels as   
though I've always loved you, and I know that I always will."  
  
Ami blushed and began to lead. The gentle ballads playing on the   
stereo were barely loud enough to hear but Ami and Makoto danced   
to their own music, a romantic symphony that swelled in their   
hearts.   
---------------------------  
  
"I've got some more blouses!" Naru announced, handing a pile of   
clothes to Rei.   
  
"Oh, these are going to look great on her," Rei decided. "You   
have a wonderful eye for style, Naru-chan."   
  
Naru blushed slightly, "Thanks, so do you. I love that sweater   
you picked out for her. It really sets off her eyes."  
  
"Umm guys...."  
  
Rei nodded enthusiastically at Naru, tossing some of the blouses   
over the door of the dressing room stall. "This will go perfectly   
with it, too." Raising her voice, she instructed, "Put this one   
on and then the red sweater! What's taking you so long, meatball   
head? We have lots more for you to try on!"  
  
"Guys? Ummm..."  
  
"Oooh, have you seen that new boutique they just opened over by   
the record store?" Naru asked excitedly. "They had a pair of   
shoes in the window that would really complement this outfit."  
  
"The red ones? I saw those! Of course, if she tried to walk in   
heels like that, she'd probably fall over!"  
  
Naru laughed, "Yeah, but she wouldn't have to walk that far for   
us to see them on her. Besides, she needs to learn eventually."  
  
"Hey!" Usagi shouted.  
  
"What?" Rei and Naru replied, annoyed at being interrupted in   
their fun.  
  
"I am _not_ some sort of KISS doll for you both to play with!"   
Usagi complained. Normally, she enjoyed being the center of   
attention, but, despite the fact that Rei and Naru were   
completely focused on getting different outfits for her to try   
on, Usagi felt like her role tonight could have been served just   
as well by a pretty blonde mannequin.   
  
Rei and Naru exchanged confused glances and shrugged their   
shoulders. "So, after we're done here, we'll go over to the shoe   
store?" Rei asked.  
  
"Sure, maybe we can get some ice cream on the way at the food   
court." Naru suggested.  
  
As Rei and Naru began comparing their tastes in ice cream, Usagi   
ruefully put on the blouse and sweater as Rei had ordered. 'The   
things I go through to make my friends happy.'  
  
------------------------  
  
"So, how did it go with your mom?" Makoto asked. After a   
wonderfully lingering dance, they had settled together on the   
couch. Makoto sat upright in one corner with Ami's head in her   
lap. Ami lay on her side on the rest of the couch, sighing   
happily as Makoto ran her fingers through her hair.  
  
"You have no idea how wonderful it feels when you play with my   
hair like that," Ami purred.  
  
"I love your hair almost as much as I love touching you," Makoto   
grinned, "but you're not getting out of it that easily, love.   
How did it go?"  
  
Ami took a deep breath and rolled onto her back so she could look   
up into Makoto's eyes. "As well as can be expected, I suppose.   
She really does love me, but I don't think she's had much   
experience expressing her feelings, so sometimes she doesn't do   
it very well."   
  
Ami went on to describe her conversation with her mother. Makoto   
nodded, asking questions now and then to better understand the   
emotions surrounding the words Ami reported. As Ami talked,   
Makoto's admiration and respect for her grew and grew. Since her   
own parents had died before she hit her 'rebellious teenage   
years', she was unsure if she ever could have stood up to them   
the way Ami had to her mom. "I'm so proud of you, Ami."  
  
Ami smiled happily, warming herself in the love shining on   
Makoto's face. "Say it again, Mako."  
  
"I'm proud of you?" Makoto repeated uncertainly.  
  
"No, guess again," Ami challenged her.  
  
"I love you, Ami," Makoto whispered, leaning down.   
  
"That's it. Please, never stop saying it," Ami responded. Slowly   
she sat up, bringing her face to meet her lover's. "I love you,   
Mako. I love you, I love you, I love you."   
  
Any further repetition was forestalled as their lips came   
together tenderly. Makoto cradled Ami in her arms, kissing her   
softly, tickling her lips with the tip of her tongue. Ami   
giggled and took Makoto's lower lip between her own, tugging on   
it gently. Gradually, Ami shifted her body, lifting herself up   
until she could ease Makoto back onto the couch and lie down on   
top of her. Playfulness graduated to passion as Ami nibbled her   
way along Makoto's jaw line to her neck just behind her ear.   
Makoto held Ami close, her hands kneading the smaller girl's   
back. Dimly, Makoto recalled something Kenjo had once told her,   
something about what it really meant when a guy rubbed a woman's   
back. 'Boy, he wasn't kidding,' she realized.  
  
Suddenly, Ami sat up, staring down at Makoto with a blue fire in   
her eyes. "Mako, you can, if you want to..." she said in a husky   
voice. Grabbing Makoto's arms by the wrists, she pulled her   
hands around from her back and placed them at the bottom of her   
blouse.   
  
'Give me strength,' Mako pleaded silently. The passion burning   
in Ami's eyes almost blinded her. "Ami, love, I want to, but   
let's take things slowly, ok?" The passion dimmed, replaced by   
uncertainty so quickly that Makoto felt like crying. Quickly,   
she moved out from under Ami and took the young woman in her   
arms, hugging her tightly.   
  
"You don't want to?" Ami murmured in confusion. Every part of   
her body ached for Makoto; she'd been able to think of little   
else for days now than being with her. Ami had never felt this   
kind of urgency, this desperation, in her entire life, and now it   
was if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over her.  
  
"Oh darling, I do, I do want to, and I want you to," Makoto   
hurried to explain. "I want to be with you completely, to kiss   
you, to touch you, to feel your hands, your kiss, everywhere."  
  
"Then why?" Ami began to ask.  
  
Makoto sighed, trying to form the words she'd been preparing all   
day. "I love you, Ami, and I don't want to do anything to   
jeopardize that. I'm just afraid that if we move too fast, too   
soon, it will confuse us both. I've never been like this with a   
woman before. I've certainly never been like this with someone   
I've loved the way I love you before."  
  
"I've never been with anyone," Ami admitted shyly, beginning to   
understand.   
  
"Ami, we have all of our lives to share ourselves completely.   
Let's not jump too far ahead right away just because..."  
  
"Because it feels so wonderful?" Ami concluded. Slowly, her   
hormones ceded control of her brain back to its rightful owner.   
"Oh Mako, I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be, love," Mako stroked Ami's cheek lovingly. "Don't ever   
be sorry for wanting me. You don't know how badly I wanted   
to..."  
  
"I think I do," Ami reminded her with a sly smile.  
  
"Ok, maybe you do," Makoto agreed, blushing. "Maybe we should   
check on dinner?"  
  
Ami stood and pulled Makoto up into her arms, hugging her tight.   
"I think that's a good idea, my love. After dinner though, well,   
I was really enjoying what we _were_ doing..." Ami turned bright   
red as the nature of what they were discussing hit her all at   
once.  
  
Makoto responded with a deep, languorous kiss. "I can't think of   
a better dessert." The color in Ami's cheeks and her shy smile   
as she nodded in agreement made Makoto's heart race. A few   
kisses later, they adjourned arm-in-arm to the dining room for   
dinner.   
  
--------------  
  
Eventually, Minako pulled away from Kenjo, taking a quick nip at   
his lower lip as she usually did. She leaned back against his   
hands locked behind her waist. The feel of his strength as he   
supported her made her quiver. She never wanted to stop kissing   
him but... "Your train is leaving in a minute or two; that was   
last call."  
  
He grinned regretfully, "There aren't any later trains today, I   
checked." Drawing her into a tight embrace, he added, "You're   
right, I'd better get on board. Thank you, Mina-chan, for   
everything."  
  
"Thank you, Kenjo-chan," Minako replied. "Promise you'll email me   
when you get there so I know you made it safely?"  
  
"No, can't do that, sorry," he answered. Feeling her tense up,   
he quickly added, "I plan on calling you instead."   
  
She giggled and nuzzled against his chest. "I guess that'll be   
all right." The conductor began to ring a bell furiously, so   
Minako pulled herself out of his arms and handed him his bag from   
the platform floor.   
  
"I'll call you tonight, and I'll be home at the end of the   
semester," Kenjo informed her, trying to capture every aspect of   
her with his eyes the way that a man in a desert laps up every   
drop of available water.   
  
"I was wondering," Minako asked, twisting her foot and looking   
down shyly. "will you be home by the last weekend in December?   
You see, they're having a Winter Formal at school and I thought   
maybe..."  
  
"I'd love to," Kenjo beamed.   
  
Minako smiled in return and then shoved him. "Now get going!"   
  
After one last desperate gaze, Kenjo turned and headed for the   
train, dashing to climb aboard just before it started to pull out   
of the station. Setting his bags down quickly, he grabbed the   
bar by the entrance and hung out the doorway waving back at   
Minako.   
  
Mina returned the wave, watching as the train whisked him out of   
her life. 'Only for a little while,' she mused. As she walked   
toward the exit, she began to plan for the Winter Formal.   
  
--------------------------  
  
The tumultuous frenzy of shared passions receded before Ami and   
Makoto sat down to dinner. Working together in their natural   
way, they quickly set the table and served each other. When not   
losing themselves in happy dazes, gazing into one another's eyes   
or marveling at their own good fortune, the two young women   
filled each other in on all of the doings of the week. Ami   
relayed the full story of how she dealt with Urawa. Makoto   
shared what she knew about the progress of Minako's relationship   
with Kenjo. Between the two of them, they pieced together what   
Mina, Usagi and Rei had been doing to help them. They argued, as   
they often had before, about the nature of Rei's feelings for   
Usagi. Makoto maintained that they were simply very close   
friends, but Ami had her suspicions about the depth of Rei's   
regard for the Moon Princess. In the end, they made some   
tentative plans to try to help find someone for the raven-haired   
miko. Throughout the meal, both Ami and Makoto reveled in the   
simple joy and comfort that came from being together and being in   
love.  
  
Like the old married couple they now hoped to be someday, the two   
young lovers moved to the kitchen after dinner to clean up the   
pans and dishes. Though they had much more incentive than usual   
to finish the job quickly, they managed to get through the   
exercise without breaking anything. Setting the last plate in   
the rack to dry, Ami glanced over at Makoto, "So, I guess we're   
done."  
  
Makoto nodded shyly, having trouble finding any words to reply.   
  
Ami took Makoto's hand in hers and led her out of the kitchen.   
Makoto instinctively moved toward the couch, but Ami tugged her   
in the opposite direction. Sensing Mako's confusion, Ami smiled.   
"In a bit, my love."   
  
Drawing Makoto behind her, Ami headed out onto the balcony. "Did   
you know that this is one of my favorite places in the whole   
world?" she asked as she walked over to the edge. Placing her   
hands on the wall there, Ami leaned forward so she could see the   
sky between the buildings that surrounded them. High above, the   
moon shone brightly, almost full. Despite the lights from the   
city all around, Ami could make out some of the brighter stars   
twinkling above. A gust of wind brought a quick chill, but   
nothing like the chill she got when she felt Makoto slide her   
hands around her waist. Leaning back, Ami let her head rest on   
Makoto's chest, drinking in the warmth that engulfed her.   
  
"I love you, Ami," Makoto whispered, resting her chin in the soft   
folds of Ami's hair. Never had Makoto felt so at peace, so   
content, so full of joy and happiness.  
  
And in that moment, Ami realized that she finally felt complete   
and whole, that all of the love in her heart had found a safe   
home in the love and warmth of this incredible woman behind her.  
  
Without another word, she led Makoto back inside where the two   
young lovers began the rest of their lives, together. 


End file.
